Of Life and Survival
by DancingSpark
Summary: The world is in ruins and people are being annualy sent to a death match called The Tournament at the capitol of the world. When young Cloud Strife is forced to participate in The Tournament with his crush, he must decide between her life or his survival.
1. The Story Begins

_Hi there! The name is DancingSpark but you can just call me Sparky. This will be my first fanfic ever so please be gentle with it... It's my baby! T^T Anywho, I just wanted to say that this story was given serious inspiration by the Hunger Games. I've rated it T for later chapters (if you've read the Hunger Games, you know why). And I'm just going to throw it out there now for you all to hear: Final Fantasy VII belongs to the almighty Square Enix. Under all my rights I claim the story as MINE. So read and enjoy this story! LET'S MOSEY.  
_

_War Arithmetic_

_Both sides claim_

_numerous enemies have been killed._

_Both sides declare_

_we've suffered no losses._

_Nobody understands_

_the arithmetic of war._

_Only the fallen_

_know the number._

The forest echoed with the sound of songbirds. A warm wind flowed through the trees like a river through the surrounding mountains, stirring leaves from the aging trees into a small dance before falling to the earth. Gentle, golden rays from the late afternoon sun fell from the filter of leaves above onto a small clearing. Tall, lush grass speckled with wildflowers swayed to and fro in the tiny opening secluded in the ancient forest. Suddenly, a long sweet face appeared, pushing its way through the grass as the sleek body of a full grown deer slid between the slender blades of amber grass.

The deer cautiously made its way across the break in the woods. It placed its hooves with care as it tread lightly across the spongy ground. It scented the air with its delicate nose, sensing for any predators that may be afoot. The air was clean with a hint of the flowers in the meadow, no startling scent of a mountain lion, wolf, or other sharp toothed beast prowling the region. As the deer lowered its head to begin grazing, a sudden gust of wind ruffled the animal's fur. An alarming smell slapped the deer in the nose as it looked up, spinning a full 180 degrees by simple reflex before digging into the soft ground with its hooves and dashing off. Just as the deer was about to disappear into the bushes and trees, an arrow zipped straight for the deer… and missed. The steel tip bit deep into the wood of a tree by the deer's chest and the animal bounded away unharmed as a foul oath was hissed from high in a tree across the clearing. A figure dropped from the branches and made its way across the open space, scuffing the dirt with a well broken-in boot.

A large, calloused hand wrapped around the embedded arrow and gave a quick tug, releasing the arrow head from the bark.

"Stupid deer," a young voice muttered. The arrow was gracefully placed back into a quiver on the back of a young human. He was not quite full grown, but he did not appear childish at all. He possessed sinewy muscles earned from hard work. His spiked hair glowed like a golden crown in the sun, casting a warm halo effect around his head. His face had a graceful jaw and brow, yet still came across as masculine. A faint scattering of very light freckles ran over his straight nose and cheekbones. The boy's eyes were his most stunning feature though. In the shade of the trees they appeared to be calm blue-gray, but in the direct sunlight they sparkled with sapphire, ice, and sky.

_I live at the edge of the Nibel Mountain Range. My home lies between two mountains that end the chain of giant hills. It's kinda secluded, but… the villagers like it. I don't mind it myself. The trade routes follow a dirt path along the valley or down the river the flows a mile away. The halfway points up the mountains are blocked from easy travel, but I manage to sneak through every now and then._

The boy emerged from the dense undergrowth of the mountain top, jogging up to a large fence. Steel poles shot twenty feet into the air from out of the earth. Strong cables ran across the lower half while barb wire ran across the top. A yellow warning sign labeled "HIGH VOLTAGE" hung from one of the cables. The boy walked up to cables and slipped between them before darting to the forest again. He glanced up at the sky before increasing his pace.

_Don't want Mom worrying about me. She said a caravan was supposed to be coming through town soon…_

After another thirty minutes of his light run, the boy spotted a path and headed toward it. He had left his bow, quiver, and hunting knife back on the "forbidden" side of the fence. His hand dropped to a small pouch hanging from his belt.

_Sure hope the socialites like blackberries 'cause that's what's on today's menu._

The boy emerged into a small town. The word "town" almost didn't make the cut. There were hardly any buildings, save a grocery store, a post office, and an inn. A quarter mile down the road was a small cluster of fancy houses. This is where the boy was making a beeline to.

He approached the steps of the first large house. It was large to him anyways; it was a two story that had a porch with a balcony overhead. He raised his hand to knock on the white washed door, steeling himself as he rapped his knuckles on the wood once, twice. A muffled shout of "One second, please!" could be heard through the wood.

_It's been a second,_ thought the boy sarcastically. The door opened and an older lady in an extravagant dress peeped from inside the house. Her make-up caked face lit up when she saw the boy.

"Oh my! I wasn't expecting to see you here this early in the day, my boy! You usually come here right at sunset, am I right?" The lady chattered with an overly bubbly tone of voice. In his mind, the boy was annoyed by it, but he kept his face a straight emotionless mask as he waited for her to finish.

"There's a caravan coming through town tomorrow, Ms. Sherley. I can't miss it," the young man huffed impatiently.

"Oh, that's right! You and your mother have some business to attend to with them, don't you? Let's hope they're from the capitol this time, eh? I could use some more perfume and chocolate because, you see, my stash is running quite low! Also, I could restock on some sugar because the stuff I have is getting a bit old, I think. Ah, before I forget! You have some nice little treats you want to sell, right? What have you brought this time, my boy?" By this point the young man was ready plug his ears with beeswax. But at the mention of selling, he immediately paid attention.

"Yes, ma'am. I have plenty of blackberries. There aren't any blueberries, unfortunately."

_The socialites always love a little "treat" from the forbidden areas behind the Fence. They know exactly where the berries and nuts I bring are from since all the bushes on this side of the fence are mobbed by slum children the second the fruits appear. But, since everyone loves to spoil themselves, they keep their mouths shut about where they get their berries. No one wants the little berry finder to be caught by the Caps and hanged._

The boy walked away from the houses, only a small handful of blackberries left in his pouch. On the bright side, he had pocketed a nice little bit of gil for his troubles. He made his way deeper into valley as he headed home.

_Because our village is nestled between the last two mountains of the Nibel Mountain Range, you only have to go so far before you reach vast flat land. Generations of farmers have cleared the flat lands of forest to make space for crops. But, there was only so much nutrition for the plants in the soil, and after years of planting, the dirt was worn out. There became an excess of cleared plains, but nothing to do with it. My village now manages some livestock out there. The pastures and crop fields are rotated every few years to give the soil a chance to rest. But tending livestock is not our greatest source of jobs and profit. Here at the foot of the mountain range, a spring of some natural energy source from deep within the earth comes to the surface. I've been told that it's called mako._

The boy finally arrived at his destination after another thirty minutes of walking. A small cottage sat at the beginning of a clear stretch of land without a tree in sight for miles. A wooden fence created a large pasture. A small barn created an opening to the pasture. The boy swerved off the dirt road and walked to the barn. As he entered, he was met with a chorus of neighs and nickers. Graceful heads and swan like necks arched over stall doors as he walked down the aisle of the barn.

"Dinner time, everyone!" the boy called out to the horses. "Ladies first." The three mares in the barn all watched the boy like a group of hawks as he grabbed a few flakes of hay and tossed them into each stall. The horses tore into the hay, yanking out mouthfuls before chewing contentedly.

Once all his equine friends were seen to, the boy left the barn, closing the door quietly with a tiny thoughtful smile playing on the corners of his lips. He then turned and made his way to the cottage before removing his boots and stepping inside. A woman with a long ponytail of blond hair sat before a fire knitting a pair of pants. As the boy entered she looked up and gave a giant smile full of life and natural cheerfulness.

"Welcome home, Cloud."

_Yes. I'm home._


	2. The Market

Chapter 2

Cloud awoke the next morning to the sun shining in his face through the window of his bedroom. He scrunched his eyes shut and gave a sigh, snuggling deeper into the covers on his small bed. He listened to the sound of birds outside in the trees and horses out in their pastures. He was lulled by the noises and slowly started to sink back into sleep when a sudden thought hit him. He jerked up and threw the covers off his body. He had forgotten about the cold however, and gave a sharp hiss at the sudden shock of freezing morning air. He quickly moved to the small closet in the side of his room. Reaching in, he pulled out a threadbare shirt, a torn pair of pants, and his jacket: his everyday attire.

As he slipped into the humble clothes, he gave a small sigh of exasperation. The caravan was supposedly heading into town today. He would try to make some sales so he and his mother could get by more easily. Winter was just around the corner and they still needed to stock up on food. But food meant money was needed, and money meant selling one or two of their best blooded horses. It was nothing personal, simply business, and yet Cloud hated dealing with some of the sharper tongued, worse tempered merchants. He hated the idea of selling his mother's and his horses to those men, but that was what the creatures were raised for. They were of the breed found only in his area. Every time a newcomer would ask what breed the magnificent creatures were, he would always state with pride "The Nebelhuf horse." The Nebelhuf breed received its name from its incredible movement; they floated across the ground like the fog of the mountains they inhabited and called home.

_My village is nestled in the Nibel Mountain Range, like I said earlier. But it does have a name, although few people outside of town who aren't merchants bother to remember. The name of this little speck of land and people is… Nibelheim. My mother once told me that the name came from a language lost to the world long ago. Apparently, "Nibel" came from "Nebel," which meant fog. "Heim" meant home. But like what happens to most languages over time, some of the words were spoken differently. It seemed like such a mysterious name though… "Home of Fog." It was much too mysterious for that little scrap of civilization._

Cloud trudged his way over to the barn in his usual morning ritual as the cold air nipped at his nose and ears. He pushed the barn door open and it gave a long held out groan as it swung on old hinges. He walked into the calm, almost holy presence of horses in the morning hours. He walked over to the left side of the barn and peeked into the stall.

"Fantasia?" he called softly. An aged sorrel mare with a roaned left leg poked her blazed face over the wooden wall and gave a soft blow on the young man's face. Cloud smiled and stroked her straight face lovingly. The mare shut her eyes in bliss as she felt his familiar quiet hands. After a couple of minutes, Cloud stepped away from Fantasia's stall and took several steps to the stall next to it. He leaned over and gave a quiet murmur.

"Kat? Where are you, pretty girl?" A young sleek silver mare appeared from the shadows, light leaking through the walls of the barn onto her faintly dappled coat. She gave him a small greeting nudge on the hand with her velvety nose before turning and heading back to her napping spot in the dark. Cloud gave a barely audible chuckle and stepped up to the last stall on this side of the barn. A pretty snow white face peeped over the stall door before giving a loud call in Cloud's direction. Liquid onyx eyes gazed at him happily as the young mare bobbed her head, demanding his attention.

_She was my favorite mare by far. Her coat turned as white as a dove's feathers at the age of two years old, which never happens. She had the biggest, darkest eyes I had ever seen. Her face was gorgeous but not extreme like those of some other Nebelhufs I had seen. She carried herself proudly and she always had the most confident temperament of the herd. She was an incredible creature in every conceivable way. And it's because of that, I think, I lost her that day._

Cloud admired all the hustle and bustle of the merchants setting up their temporary shops on the edge of the main part of town. Ever since he was a little toddler, all the strange sights and languages the merchants brought with them caught his attention and fascinated him. The local farmers would sell their produce and the merchants would sell their various goods, ranging from luxuries like sugar and beads to simple every day necessities like hair brushes for the ladies and a form of paste for the teeth.

_That deer would have been great for trade today,_ Cloud thought. But dragging in illegal game and being caught by the authorities would be a bit much to handle, he decided as he appreciated the view from atop his well behaved stallion, Nabi. Despite the fact the teenage Cloud had a mare and gelding in tow, the mahogany bay stallion always minded his manners and behaved perfectly despite the distraction. However, standing at the edge of the giant puddle of people was exciting for the young horse and he pranced on the spot, his three white feet flashing as he stared with ears up and eyes bright into the crowd.

A breach in the swarm of people appeared and Cloud quickly took his chance, urging Nabi onward into the crowd. As the three horses and young man waded through, people began to step out of the way, not wanting their toes to be crushed by the energetic, snorting horses. Finally Cloud spotted a stall to tie the three horses by. It wasn't much, just three poles holding up another three logs to make a three sided box, but it would have to do.

He tied the gelding and mare next each other and tied Nabi on another side, keeping the gelding between the stallion and mare. He trusted the stallion's manners, but didn't want to taunt him with a mare just in reach.

_A little skirmish between the horses is just enough to scare off any of the inexperienced handlers, though, _Cloud thought to himself. He gave a deep sigh as he lowered himself to the ground and leaned his back against one of the stall's poles, shutting his eyes and preparing to wait for the sight of well pedigreed horses to attract the attention of potential buyers. He didn't have too long to wait.

"Oi, young man!" Cloud cracked open an eye. "Mind if we take a look at them horses there?" A tall bearded man stood before him with small woman and little girl standing a little behind him. "We're looking for a nice family pet, and I wondered if maybe one of these horses would make a decent companion for my little Lily here." The little girl blushed and hid behind her mother.

Cloud looked up into the man's eyes and said flat out, "You realize how much one of these is going to cost you, right? I mean, geldings are the cheapest, but even then, it's not a small price." The tall man gave a surprised and then wary look at Cloud, waiting for the young man to name the price. "The gelding will have to go for 15,000 gil," he stated simply. Too much emotion had never worked in the sales business for Cloud.

"Ack…" the man murmured. "Can we take a quick look at him, at least? I would like to admire him though, he is quite the handsome horse." Cloud nodded his consent and the small family walked over to admire the gelding. They ogled over him for about a minute before Cloud's curiosity got the best of him, making him get up and watch their reactions to one of his favorite horses.

"Look at his hair, daddy! It's so pretty!" the little girl squealed as she ran her hand through the horses pale blond mane. She looked so happy as she ran her hands down his neck, marveling in the softness of the rich orange coat. Cloud's hard salesman front cracked at the sweet sight. The little girl gave a giggle as the gelding lowered his head and snuffed her jacket, steam blowing out of his nose like smoke from a dragon in the cold weather. Cloud couldn't help himself as he walked over to the two.

"His name is Ebriz."

"Ebriz?" The little girl looked up at him in surprise. "What's that mean?"

"It means 'pure gold,'" Cloud answered.

"I can see how you came up with that name for him," the small woman murmured, as she took in Ebriz's pale blond mane and tail, rich orange fur, and white feet.

Cloud debated in his head over the next few minutes as the family continued to admire Ebriz. _Should I let them take him? I could lower the price… they'd make a wonderful family for him, I'm sure. But, we need the money… _His indecision was killing him. His brow furrowed, and he bit his lip as he weighed his options. Finally, a good heart tipped the scale.

"I can bring down the price to 10,000 gil."

The tall man looked up. "But… that's still a bit high to me." He frowned.

_How far can I let the price drop? _Cloud thought uneasily. "How about 9,000? That's honestly as low as I can get the price, sir. I'm sorry, but we need the money." His eyes widened. _Crap, didn't mean to say that out loud!_

The man gave a nod of understanding. "Very well, 9,000 it is. I'm so grateful for your help. We will take the best possible care of him." Cloud nodded and gulped before glancing over at the little girl and horse. Her delight was obvious as she laughed and cried, hugging her new friend around his neck. Cloud relaxed slightly.

_It was little acts like this that caught her attention. I think that's what made me stand out from all of the other boys in town. She could see right through my façade, unlike the others. She saw the sensitive side of me. I'll never tell her, but I know she knows._

As the family walked away, the tall man leading Ebriz with the little girl perched on his shoulders, Cloud turned to start attending his last horse to sell when he spotted her. A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck, but his expression didn't change. A girl around his age stood about twenty yards away, her form partially hidden by a cart. She brushed a strand of dark brown hair behind her ear as she watched the young man. Her wine colored eyes met his sapphire and sky orbs before Cloud severed the contact and turned around, appearing to all the world as apathetic to the girl's staring. But an internal battle of thoughts raged in his head.

_What is _she_ doing here?_


	3. Skirmish? Enter Zack!

_Hey there! I apologize for taking a tad longer than normal to upload, but life's been hectic. Some guy who was drunk off his ass decided to flip his car over a ditch and take out the fence to my family's front horse pasture. But not to worry! The horses are fine and I hope the drunk fucker goes to jail (pardon the language). I've been dealing with that PLUS another horse had a major allergic reaction to who knows what. Had to call out the vet and give the stallion steroid shots in the jugular. But he's fine now, praise Jesus! Back to the story, there's gonna be a little bit of action in this chapter. Sounds fun, right? There's a super minor character being introduced (minor as in: only appears in two chapters) and I think you're going to see where I got the inspiration from. (Let's say I took out some hatred on fantasy characters that coincide with real life) Enjoy the chapter! Reviews will help you earn your way onto my LOVE list. :)_

_(I can make a line break now! WOOOO!)_

* * *

Chapter Three

Cloud carefully kept his face an emotionless mask as he turned back toward the mare, pretending the he hadn't seen the girl.

_I thought she was the type who didn't like to come to these types of gatherings, _he mused in his mind. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder back to the cart where the girl stood. She had turned and was talking to the owner, a man looking to be in his mid-thirties, who was selling bright and precious jewelry. She gave a pleasant laugh as the man made a quick joke, her smile bright as she tossed her luxurious hair over her shoulder. Cloud turned back to his horses again. _Just focus on the sales for today. You can see her later._

The sun was starting to sink down into the sky when another prospect buyer came to look at the mare. A man of medium stature was making his way to the stall. Cloud immediately knew he was trouble. He walked with a sway in his gait, as if he'd had one too many drinks at one of the mobile pubs. He was speaking loudly and making greatly exaggerated motions to three companions walking with him. His clothes were full of wrinkles and stains. As he walked within twenty feet of Cloud, the teenager noticed an unkempt beard and greasy hair. His disgust grew as he took in more of the vagabond-looking man. The drunkard tripped and almost fell down at Cloud's feet as he finally reached the stall. An awful smell of alcohol pierced Cloud's sensitive nose.

"How much for it, huh?" the man growled out as he made his way back onto his feet. Cloud didn't answer. No way in _hell_ was he going to sell his beloved mare to this… this… old _fart._

"She's not for sale," Cloud answered as he eyed the creep. The man raised his eyebrows.

"Then why's she here?" he grumbled out, staring at the silver mare. Cloud combed his mind for an excuse.

"She needed exercise, plus this festival is good exposure for her," Cloud stated tonelessly. He wasn't going to let this guy find a hold in his words to start an argument. The man didn't need one apparently.

"Well, I know people like you that live in this crap hole of a town," the man spat at the ground, "need all the money they can get their filthy rat hands on. So, how 'bout a deal, huh? I buy the damned horse and you get a nice little penny for it, huh?" The man gave a humorless grin, exposing broken and stained teeth. Cloud was outraged.

_Who does this guy think he is? Practically calling us rats when he's worse than a rat himself… He's lower than even a rat. Heck, he's even lower than the scum on a rat's paw! _Cloud thought angrily. As the man made a step towards the mare, Cloud stepped between them and crossed his arms. "Leave now. You're not buying anything from me today, or ever for that matter."

The man glared at Cloud for a good few seconds. Then he promptly shoved past Cloud to grab the mare's lead rope. As his hands started to close around the rope, a sudden strong push knocked him out of the stall onto his already filthy behind. He stared up in shock from the dust at a fuming Cloud.

"Hey, you can't treat Jacob like that, man!" one of the companions shouted angrily in Cloud's face as the others helped Jacob/old fart onto his feet.

"Yes, I can. I told him to leave and instead he tried to forcefully take something of mine," growled Cloud quietly. He glanced around the area. A few people had stopped their searches for items to watch the little disagreement taking place between a local farm boy and a drunk's gang. But besides these bystanders, a few Caps were heading towards them.

_Everyone hated the Caps. They were authorities from the Capitol sent to keep us "back-woods folk" in line. They were usually recognized by us because of the hats they wore: sick green pieces of material on their heads bearing the crest of the government. How we hated those men…_

Cloud pushed the new man out of his face with a scowl darkening his face. This man wasn't going to take that. He jumped at Cloud with an angry shout and threw his fist towards the teenager's face. Cloud quickly caught the man's fist in his hand and delivered a punch of his own, catching his adversary in the solar plexus. As the man went down coughing, the other two companions stopped their attempt at picking up Old Fart from the dirt and charged at Cloud. He quickly backtracked, trying to stay out of range. But, as one of the men reached him, Cloud pounced. He flew forward, his fist crashing into the man's face. A loud _crunch_ sounded as the man's nose was squashed into his face. He backed off with a howl.

Cloud turned to try and find the final man, but a force crashed into his back, knocking him onto the ground. The strained his neck trying to see behind him. The final man was straddling his back, using his weight to hold down the struggling Cloud and his legs to pin the teenager's arms. He leaned down, his mouth near Cloud's ear.

"Time to pay, little punk," he hissed. He grabbed a handful of blond spikes and lifted Cloud's head before slamming it into the ground. Cloud gasped in pain, and the man pulled back and repeated the violent act. Stunned, Cloud went limp and stopped his struggle as his vision became dark at the edges. Suddenly the weight on his back disappeared. He tried to sit up as he heard a scuffle behind him.

"What do you think you're doing? You just attacked a boy!" One of the Caps was shouting at the men.

"That little snot attacked us first! And for no reason!" shouted nasty Jacob.

"Liar! He didn't attack you, he tried to protect his horse from you filthy creeps," a strong voice called out. The Caps, drunks, and Cloud turned to see the source of the new voice. A young man with slicked back and spiked black hair was making his way through the crowd toward them, a furious scowl on his face. He was tall, taller than most of the men at the stall, yet he appeared to be only a few years older than Cloud. His violet eyes sparked dangerously at the attackers. The X-shaped scar on his cheek left and strong build intimidated the filthy men. They quailed at his approach.

"Zack, what are you doing here?" Cloud whispered as the young raven haired man crouched down and offered a hand.

"Keeping your scrawny blond butt from getting in trouble with the authorities, that's what," Zack whispered back. "You're already under a close eye, you should know this! Why did you have to stir up trouble?"

Cloud looked away, muttering, "The assholes deserved it." Cloud glanced back as Zack gave a small sigh, running his hand through his hair.

"You sure are a handful," Zack murmured as Cloud took his hand and pulled himself onto his feet again. One of the Caps walked up, an unpleasant expression souring his face.

"Care to explain what happened this time, Strife?" Cloud looked away angrily. Why did he always have to be the one to get the worst side of the Caps? They were horrible to everyone, but especially to him.

"Those bozos tried to forcefully take his horse," Zack answered for Cloud.

The Cap raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. That's a first. Strife picking a fight for a good reason? What a rare occurrence this is!" The sarcasm stung Cloud, but he didn't let his face betray him. No emotion was visible from the obvious insult. The Cap turned away and gave a wave of his hand before saying, "We'll let it by for now. No one hear likes a commotion from a man who can't hold his alcohol." With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

Zack waited until the last of crowd had dispersed before turning to Cloud. He had a tired look on his face as he said, "I'll keep an eye on Nabi and Kat. You go use some money you got from the other sale and go buy something nice for you and your mother." Cloud opened his mouth to protest, but Zack cut him off with a raised hand. "Don't worry about me. I'll just take a nice nap by the stall," he gave a small chuckle and plopped down into the dirt. "Get going, kid!"

Cloud spent the next couple of hours drifting through the vendors looking for basic household necessities his mother had asked him to find. As he went about buying thread, cloth, and a few other basics, a pain started behind his forehead. It gathered into one burning point and throbbed like a heart. By the time he was making his way back to Zack, he was stumbling along with one hand grasping a cloth sack and the other pressed to his head. Zack jumped to his feet in concern.

"Cloud! Are you okay?" he called to the faint blond. He never got an answer. Just as Cloud reached the stall he collapsed with a groan. He didn't get back up.

"CLOUD!"


	4. Nightmares and Lost Mares

A/N: Hey, guys, guess what! I'M BACK! My apologies for taking so long to get this out. D: I've had a busy band trip to Washington D.C. and lots of crap to make up these past two weeks. But I've finally finished this week's chapter, and I've made sure to make it a little longer than last chapter! Oh, and Cloud and FFVII belong to Square Enix. Old Fart Jacob, the story, and the horses belong to me (although I'd much rather have Cloud than drunk old farts. :/)

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4

_Cloud awoke with a start. Groaning in pain, he sat up from where he lay, pressing a hand to his forehead. Sky blue eyes blinked open briefly before snapping shut against the bright light that shined deep into the dark pupils. He forced himself to open his eyes again and take in the scene around him. A brilliant white light shone on endlessly into the distance, causing his golden crown of spikes to gleam. A quick search with his sapphire orbs led him to realize there was no source for the pure light; it shone on of its own accord. He carefully patted the ground with a cautious hand and felt two different silks: soft and gritty. With a frown, he stared down at his hand. Fresh earth coated his palm and, as he looked down to where his hand had been, he spotted a few crushed petals. _

_He realized, with a start, that he was in an endless field of gold and white flowers._

_Leaning over from where he sat in the dirt, Cloud grasped the stem of a nearby white flower and pulled it from the ground. After a brief bout of resistance, the flower came free of the dirt. A faint twinge of guilt tugged Cloud's gut, for some reason he didn't understand. He brought the small plant to his face and studied the silky petals. They seemed to shine with their own bioluminescence much like the white light around them. Tiny, fine hairs caught some of the pure light around them and glittered gold. Cloud admired their natural beauty for a few seconds, wondering if these flowers were real or just a figment of his imagination. _

_As he contemplated the flower, a sound drifted into his ear from his right. Startled, he looked up, trying to find a source. There was nothing to see but the flowers. Again, the sound whispered from his right, this time louder. It sounded like someone was crying out, but it was muffled, as if Cloud were underwater or had cotton stuffed in his ears. He listened for the sound again, straining to catch the meaning of the words. There they were again. He slowly rose to his feet from the flowers and slowly started making his way toward the sound. The closer he got, the less muffled it became, yet he still couldn't understand the words. But he was able to pick up a panicked tone in them. The more frantic they became, the faster he walked. It wasn't long before he was running towards the sound, an unfounded fear pounding through his body._

"_What are you saying?" he called out towards the voice. Suddenly, it answered with perfect clarity. With that clarity, he felt his heart plunge with an adrenaline rush. A vision of chestnut hair and green eyes flashed in his mind's eye and a soft female voice echoed around him._

"_Cloud! HELP ME!" the voice called in terror. His heart seemed to stop for a second before it started pounding again with renewed vigor. His feet slammed against the ground as he ran even faster towards the voice. He knew that voice, he knew who that belonged to! Wait, no he didn't! What was going on?_

"_Wait! Don't worry, I'm coming, _!" Cloud felt a cold chill wash over him. He had called out the name of the voice's owner. He knew her name, he _knew _it, yet when he called out nothing came from his mouth and when he tried to remember it nothing popped into his mind._

_The voice gave a sudden pained gasp, and in his mind's eye, Cloud saw a flash of silver. No, it was two different silvers. One shone like metal while the other had the soft glint of… hair? Yet, with that flash, Cloud felt an incredible rage and hatred burst from his heart. A deep, masculine chuckle sounded from the same direction as the female voice._

"_Cloud…" the female voice whispered. The gentle soprano was now rough and scratchy, from what, Cloud didn't know. The pain in it… Cloud felt a freezing hand of extreme grief and guilt wrap around his heart. It was so terrible, he felt as if his heart would stop and wither away to nothing. Tears leaked down his lightly freckled cheeks as he stopped running and came to a halt, bending over and putting his hands on his knees as sobs started wracking from his body._

"_I'm so sorry," he gasped out. "I'm so sorry, _." Once again, the name gave no meaning to his mind. He collapsed into the flowers and started to sob into the silken earth._

"Cloud. Wake up."

He felt a hand gently shake his shoulder. With a small grunt he rolled away from the pressure and snuggled deeper into the earth under his head. Whoever it was, he wanted them to leave him alone. Couldn't they see what had just happened? She was dead, and it was his fault. What?

"Hey, Cloud," a different voice whispered next to his ear.

_What? What do _you_ want? _he thought groggily. He heard a faint mischievous chuckle.

"WAKE UP!" the voice bellowed in his ear. With a startled gasp he sat up quickly, banging his head against something hard. His grunt of pain was mirrored by the voice that had just blasted out his eardrums. Rubbing his hand against his forehead, he became aware of other aches not just on the surface of his skull, but deep inside as well. His eyes slowly opened, taking in the dim light around him.

_What? Where… am I? _he wondered. A quick inspection around him revealed he was home. He looked down and realized he was in his bed, his humble bed sheets covering the lower half of his body. The "earth" had been his worn out pillow. Looking up, he spotted his mother sitting on a chair to his right, clear relief on her face. On his left was a put out looking Zack who rubbed his forehead; presumably where his and Cloud's skulls had connected.

"It's good to see you awake, sweetheart," his mother murmured as she gave him a warm hug.

"What happened?" asked Cloud. He couldn't remember anything from earlier.

Zack spoke up, "You got in a scuffle with those drunk bastards and gave them a run for their money, but you got a good knock or two in the head before they backed down. You were coming back to the sales stall when you just collapsed at my feet. We brought you home and now Doc says you got a concussion." He gave Cloud a strange look. "And, are you feeling alright buddy? You were crying in your sleep and acting pretty distressed, so we woke you up."

Cloud remembered the dream and his tears. Had they been real? He thought they were just part of the dream. He carefully lifted a hand to his face and his fingers came away damp. He could feel the salt starting to stiffen on his skin. A quick wipe with his sleeve and the tears disappeared.

"I'm fine," he answered quietly. "It was just a dream." Zack didn't look convinced, but decided not to pursue the subject anymore.

"So, aside from the obvious concussion, how are ya feelin'?" Zack asked cheerily as he plastered a quick smile on his face. Cloud just gave his friend a long explaining look to which Zack gave a quick laugh. "I figured as much. I gotta say, you really whaled away on those punks. It was really entertaining to watch those sorry mutts scramble off with their tails between their legs," he smiled at the memory. Mrs. Strife didn't look as amused by the retelling as Zack, though.

"You're lucky, Cloud. That could have turned out much worse than it did," she murmured to her son, who looked away, hiding his face behind his long blond bangs. "Zack has told me what happened, but still, you know better than to pick fights. I've raised you better than that." Cloud didn't answer, but rather kept his face hidden. After a few moments of silence, Mrs. Strife stood up and faced Zack.

"I think you can go home now, Zack. I'll take care of things from here."

"Okay, Mrs. Strife. I can come in and check on him later though, right?"

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Strife said with a small smile. "You know you can visit whenever you want."

As soon as Zack left the room, shutting the door behind him, Mrs. Strife turned to her son who still sat silently staring at his hands. She gave a sigh and walked over to his bed, sitting down once again in the chair next to him. She studied his face carefully, looking into the eyes that were exact copies of hers. She pursed her lips as she realized he was developing an ugly black eye. She then raised her hand and placed it lightly on his bruising forehead. Cloud just looked away from her and out the single window in his bedroom. The sunset was not very impressive today; storm clouds had been blowing in during the evening and were now covering the sun. Said clouds were also floating surprisingly low; they hid the very peaks of the highest mountains around Nibelheim. Cloud's mother gave a small sigh and leaned over, stroking her fingers through her son's hair. He gave a sigh himself and leaned into the familiar and comforting touch.

The two sat together for a little over an hour, simply relaxing and enjoying each other's presence. But finally, Mrs. Strife rose to her feet again and headed to the door of the tiny bedroom. Before stepping through the doorway, she turned and said, "I'm going to go get Doc so she can check on you again. I'll only be gone a little while. Will you be alright?"

Cloud looked up at her and gave one of his tiny smiles. "I'll be fine, Ma. I can take care of myself."

His mother returned the small smile and shut the door quietly. Cloud gave a small yawn and settled himself down into the covers of his bed, trying to contemplate what had caused his dream.

Cloud woke up again a few hours later. The storm clouds had moved off from the Nibel Mountain Range. Moonlight was streaming through the window, reflecting off the curtains and floor, giving the room a dark silver look. Cloud shuddered as he was reminded of his dream. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, waiting a second as the blood rushed out of his head.

_Ow, damn, _he thought to himself as the pain of his headache doubled from what it had been a moment before. He was struck with a sudden thirst, so he made his way into the kitchen where he pulled out a glass from one of the old cupboards. He stuck the cup under the facet and turned on the water. Turning off the water when his cup was filled, he took a long deep drink while looking around the house.

_Hmm. Looks like Ma isn't back yet, _he noticed. _I wonder what she's doing._

His vision felt a bit impaired as he looked around. With a frown, he wondered if he had a black eye. It wouldn't be the first time he'd received one.

_I got in lots of fights as a young kid. The other children would always poke fun at my hair since it was naturally spiky and so bright. One day I had enough and took down one of the boys who kept antagonizing me. That started a long period in my childhood that involved blood, tears, and scraped knuckles. It only got worse as us kids became teenagers._

His thoughts were interrupted by a few banging noises outside. Confused, he made his way to the kitchen window above the sink and looked out. Why were the barn doors open? It wasn't really that windy outside, was it? A bad feeling clenched Cloud's gut. He went over to the door and slid his feet into his boots. Quietly, he opened the door and padded out to the barn, his hunter's experience allowing him to glide silently to the open doors. He walked up and kept to the side of the barn, keeping out of sight in case there was a person in the barn. His ears picked up sound from inside the barn. Faint whispers and chuckles were drifting to him from somewhere inside.

_Who is it? _Cloud thought in distress. His hand gravitated to his belt to grab… nothing. _Darn it! _he thought angrily. He had left his hunting knife in the forest from his hunting expedition the other day. He had no weapons for defense in case the people inside were aggressive. He inched to the doors and peeked into the stable. Four men were huddled around the entrance to one of the stalls. As Cloud watched, a fifth emerged from the stall with a familiar dove white mare, a crude rope halter and lead placed on her head.

_NO! What are they doing? They can't take her! _Cloud thought with panic. _And you can't take them, Cloud, _a voice in his conscience whispered. _You'll only get your skinny butt kicked all the way to the Capitol!_ But Cloud threw his rational thoughts to the wind and jumped into the barn, charging the thieves. As he rushed through the aisle, he grabbed a pitchfork leaning on the wall as he blew by. Before they could even react, three of the men were down in a matter of seconds, one with a large lump to his head and the other two rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs from having the handle of a pitchfork shoved into them.

As Cloud darted between the men, he started to recognize faces. It wasn't until he was about to attack the man holding his mare that he truly understood who these people were.

_They're the goons from this afternoon! _He glared angrily at the man holding his mare. It was Old Fart Jacob. The drunken man from that afternoon was not so drunk this time. His eyes met Cloud's glare with equal anger and something else: vengeance.

"You made a fool out of me earlier today, punk. I think I can take this for compensation," Old Fart Jacob snarled. Before Cloud could reply, the one goon he'd missed grabbed him from behind. As he struggled, Jacob slammed his knee deep into Cloud's stomach, leaving the teenager coughing. The thief tugged on the rope and ran out of the barn, the dove white mare pulling against the rope but following all same. Having recovered, the other goons rushed out after their leader but not before each giving Cloud a good fist to the head. The blonde was finally released by the final goon as he darted out the door after his group. Cloud hit the floor on his hands and knees before immediately struggling to his feet.

"Hey, wait!" he called after the goons. He stumbled to the barn entrance, grasping the wall for support with one hand while the other pressed against his already bruised head. As he reached the doors, he spotted the group of thieves mounting steeds hidden in the forest across the road to Cloud's home.

_Oh Goddess, no… _Cloud started sprinting towards them. If he didn't catch them soon, he'd lose his mare forever! As the last goon mounted his horse, Cloud redoubled his speed, his legs pounding into the ground as he ran as fast he could to the goons. But, they were all mounted now, and before Cloud was within a hundred feet they hid their spurs in the horses' sides and dashed off, leaving the teenager in the dust.

Cloud yelled several profanities in their direction before darting back to the barn. He rushed up the ladder to the loft and threw down a bridle, saddle, and blanket. He leaped down to ground level, grunting in pain as his landing jarred his legs before dashing into one of the stalls. A couple minutes later, a dark mahogany shape galloped out of the barn in the direction the thieves had gone. Cloud urged Nabi into an even faster gallop and the two disappeared down the road, melting into the night.


	5. Angry Mother Hen

_A/N: Hey, look! Sparky isn't dead! AND WHAT'S THIS?! She posted another chapter to this fic?! I thought she'd left it to die a sad death! :O ... No, I didn't. Surprise! Sorry for not posting for several months. I was enjoying my summer vacation. But, in the famous words of Roxas himself "It looks like my summer vacation is... over." Yeah, it's the truth! I thought I'd give a heads up to some probably confused readers: there WILL be chocobos in this story, but they're going to make an appearance later. I can't wait for their yellow/black/green/blue/gold feathers to start popping up all over the place! *KWEH!*_

_Cloud Strife, his mother, Zack Fair, Nibelheim, and all that stuff belong to SQUEENIX. The horses, story, and OC's belong to ME. Thank you and enjoy! :D_

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Chapter 5

The sun rose over the misty tree tops as dawn broke out. As the flaming sphere rose higher into the sky, a dirt path leading out of the forest became visible, as well as the figures trudging along it in the dim light.

Cloud had several scratches on his body from galloping through the underbrush in pursuit of the men who had stolen his prized mare. His chase led him deep into the forest until he came to a river. The tracks had stopped at a peer jutting into the dark waters. He had jumped off of Nabi's back and paced the shoreline looking for any hints in case his thieves had simply crossed the river, but to no avail.

_They must have taken a boat downstream_, he had thought to himself. That is, unless they were lucky enough to have a boat with some type of engine. But Cloud knew it was unlikely since the world was in such disrepair. Machines were very rare in these parts, and well protected; why would some lowly thieves have something like that? It didn't add up.

He gave and angry huff as he let some of his pent up frustration and sorrow seep out. Nabi's ears twitched back to listen, but the horse kept moving along the trail on autopilot. He knew exactly where they were heading; home! But his rider was radiating waves of unpleasant feelings. It was unnerving. Nabi paused on the path for a moment, turning his long neck to look back at the teenager on his back. The blond boy looked tiredly into his mount's intelligent dark eyes.

"What is it, Nabi? We're heading home, just keep moving," Cloud murmured, tapping his heels against Nabi's sides. The stallion didn't budge. Cloud gave another sigh, this time in defeat, and tapped the horse's sides again.

"Go on. Move on."

The stallion moved this time, turning his head back towards home and moving at a steady pace. The two reached the house and barn an hour later. A small crowd had gathered outside the humble home. Zack was there, along with some of the neighbors, the doctor, and Cloud's mother. No one noticed the bay horse and blond boy approaching until Nabi turned his head towards the barn and called to the other horses, getting several whinnies in return. The choir of voices startled the people at the house doorstep. They all turned and made noises of relief as they saw Cloud coming closer. His mother and Zack came jogging over. Zack beat the aging woman by a few yards.

"Better watch out, dude. She's _mad_. I hope you survive this one," he whispered up to Cloud, pity in his eyes. Cloud only had time to open his mouth to reply before he was cut off by an angry shout from a flash of gold hair in his peripheral vision.

"_CLOUD STRIFE!" _his mother shouted at incredible volume. Nabi shied away from the furious woman, blowing and perking his ears. Cloud quickly jumped off before the horse could decide to bolt run for his life.

"_You're going to stay here and take this with me!" _he hissed in the horse's ears. He turned to face his raging mother, a hint of shame crossing his features. She showed no sympathy.

"How _dare_ you disappear like that! Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was? I return home and you're gone! No note, nothing! And then two of the horses are missing! I asked everyone around if they'd seen you, but no one had! Not the neighbors, not the slums people, the rich folk, not anyone! I even contacted the authorities and asked them to search the town for you, but there wasn't a sign! And you know how much I hate talking to those sorry excuses for police! For all we knew, you were kidnapped!" She glared straight into her son's eyes with the force of a blue wildfire. The surrounding villagers and Zack had been slowly inching away during the tirade until they were all at least ten feet away from the mother and son.

Cloud's mother turned away the second her son bowed his head and gave a small nod. She faced the crowd and quickly put a pleasant smile on her face.

"Thank you for your help, everyone. Now that Cloud is back, I'll take care of the rest. You may all go home now."

One by one, the villagers started making their way to their own homes. Cloud looked up from beneath his golden bangs to watch them leave when his blue eyes caught the attention of wine red ones. His cheeks darkened slightly and he gave a small frown and looked down at the ground, breaking the contact. A man called from the road, and the girl turned toward away and walked off.

As Cloud's gaze left the ground, he found himself face to face with Zack, a cheeky grin plastered on the older boy's face.

"Oh? What's this? Feeling a little warm, Cloud?" The dark haired teen let out mischievous chuckle. Cloud glared at his friend and looked away with an angry "shut up" whispered under his breath. Zack only shook his head.

"I'm going to head home now, man. It's way too early for this type of drama. The doctor is here to check up on you again in case your concussion got worse or maybe you lost a limb or two when you were 'kidnapped'. I see you got a couple cuts, but that's nothin' that won't heal in a couple of days! See you at school tomorrow, right?" Zack asked over his shoulder as he turned and started walking back to his own home. Cloud gave a nod.

"Yeah. I'll see you," he called to his friend's back. Zack smiled and started to jog back to his home. Cloud turned to the barn and gave a tug on Nabi's reins, leading the horse to his stall to untack. His mother noticed.

"Oh? Where do you think you're going, young man?"

Cloud turned to her and mumbled, "To put away the horse." His mother stared back at him for several seconds before nodding.

"You do that. But you had better come back to the house the _second _you are finished, am I clear? The doctor still needs to give you one last check before you can go back to normal activites." Cloud quickly nodded and ducked his head as he started to jog to the barn so as to escape his mother's glare. Nabi gave a snort and trotted after him.

* * *

Cloud sat on the stool in the kitchen later that morning as the doctor pulled a jar of ointment out of her bag. She unscrewed the lid and dipped a finger into the green gunk inside and pulled it out to wipe the stuff along a cut on Cloud's lower jaw. The blond winced as the scratch stung sharply for a split second and then started to fade to a dull throbbing. The healer added ointment to a few other scrapes along his neck and arms before leaning away to screw the cap back on the jar.

"That takes care of bacteria. We don't want you to get any infections, although it's a bit unlikely with cuts that small. But, we don't know what plants you may have gotten these from, so being careful can't hurt, can it?" she asked rhetorically as she slipped the jar back into her medical bag and rummaged around for some bandages. Cloud shook his head in reply. The doctor gave a small "aha!" and pulled out a couple bandages along with a small roll of medical tape. She started to tape the bandages to the worst cuts on Cloud's arms and face.

"Do you still have a headache, Cloud?" the healer asked as she taped down one of the bandages on the inside of Cloud's arm. He shook his head. The headache had faded away earlier that morning when he was heading home. "Do you feel strange at all? Dizzy? Nauseous?" The blond shook his head. "Do you feel especially tired?"

"Well, yeah," he replied. "But I think that has to do with the fact I was up all night long…" The healer gave an understanding nod.

"How about amnesia? Do you remember what happened when you were at the market? Do you remember what happened on your search last night?" A nod to each question confirmed the doctor's thoughts. "I think you're not going to have any issues with your concussion, which is good. Just try to stay out of trouble for a while, alright, Cloud? I've been seeing you a bit too much lately."

Cloud glanced away and looked out the window. After a few seconds he murmured, "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry, Doctor Gertrude." The kind woman simply smiled and stood up, giving the teenager a pat on the head.

"Don't be sorry, just make sure you stay out of trouble," she cautioned as she grabbed her bag and made her way to the door. As she was passing Cloud's mother, she leaned to the other woman and whispered, "If he starts acting out of the ordinary, like personality changes or slurring when he talks, send for me right away, alright?" The blond woman nodded and Dr. Gertrude made her leave. The second the door closed, Mrs. Strife turned to her son.

"What exactly happened last evening, Cloud?"

Cloud told her everything, explaining how he had entered the barn to see the men from earlier the other day in the barn and stealing his mare, how they disappeared and he took chase, and how he had lost them at the river and was forced to return home.

When he was finished, his mother walked forward and gave him a caring hug.

"I'm so sorry you lost her, Cloud. But I'm just glad you made it home without any large injuries…" She pulled back and was startled to see her son's eyes glistening with unshed tears of anger, frustration, and sadness. She felt a painful tug in her heart, and she leaned forward to give Cloud another hug, this one protective and loving.

Several moments later she pulled away again and whispered to him, "Hey, I got you something at the market yesterday." Cloud looked up in surprise, distracted from his angry thoughts.

"What? You did?" His mother nodded with a small smile and went into her bedroom, appearing a few moments later with a small cloth bag in hand. She grabbed a chair from the table and pulled it over. As she sat down, she reached out and handed Cloud the bag. He pulled at the top of the bag, opening the worn cloth, and reached inside. He pulled out his fist and opened it. His eyes lit up at what he saw.

In his palm sat three silver pieces: a ring, an earring, and some type of badge. They were beautifully crafted. A wolf's head decorated each one. The beast's face glared at Cloud proudly, a small metal ring clenched in its jaws. Cloud traced the carved lines of fur with his index figure, marveling at the smooth, cold texture. He looked up at his mother, a self-contained yet delighted smile on his face. His mother spoke up.

"That wolf is supposed to be the great Fenrir. I thought these could protect you when you needed protecting," she explained quietly. Cloud looked back at the jewelry in his hand with awe.

_Fenrir was a great Nibel wolf of local legend. The giant wolf had appeared in the surrounding mountains one day and the people of old Nibelheim thought it was a monster to be exterminated. But when the town was attacked by hordes of real monsters, the Nibel wolf went against them to protect Nibelheim. No one knew why it did this, but it saved the town from sure destruction. The wolf died of its wounds afterwards, but the town's people dubbed it Fenrir and remember it to this day in admiration. When the Caps started running things around Nibelheim, they forbid mentions of that Nibel wolf, punishing those who told the legend. No one really knew why until later…_

"This is incredible… Thank you, Ma."


	6. The Girl with Red Eyes

_Hey guys, here's the new chapter! I apologize for the four month disappearance. Also, I'd like to make a request. Yesterday, December 14, a man armed with some handguns went into an elementary school in Connecticut and killed 26 people, 6 adults and 20 children. Please, despite whatever religion you are or if you are atheist, please pray for the families that lost their little angels. Thank you. On a happier note, I discovered a new band called Imagine Dragons. You should check them out, they're awesome! :D_

_*EDIT* I would also like to thank TykkiMikk and Irish-Brigid for giving me some input about the story even though the update was posted mere hours ago. TykkiMikk, thank you for suggesting I lengthen out the story, I totally agree the chapters need some more length. And Brigid, you caught THE MOST EMBARRASSING GRAMMAR SLIP UP I'VE EVER POSTED. Even though I found it before your comment, I appreciate the heads up. :D 3_

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The morning mountain air was crisp with a little bite to it, causing Cloud to give a shiver beneath his jacket and readjusted the straps on his knapsack as he trudged down one of the few streets in Nibelheim. Next to him, trotting along with a cheerful energetic bounce in his step was Zack. The two were making their way down the road towards a large low building. Cloud gave off a disgruntled aura at the sight of the building while Zack continued on next to him, oblivious to his friend's demeanor.

"Are you ready for Ms. Rigs' class?" asked Zack.

"No. I don't think she knows how to teach," muttered Cloud. Zack looked at him curiously.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," Cloud started, "she's not really from around here, we all know that. She tries to teach the local history, but she doesn't really know it, and then she expects us to cough up everything she told us onto paper even though we know it's not true. If any of us try and correct her, she goes into these fits. I don't want to deal with that… Besides, everyone knows the local history ten times better than she does. I could even teach the class better than she does!"

Zack smiled at the Cloud's last comment. "I'd like to see that. Boy, would that be entertaining!" He gave a loud laugh as he jumped over a puddle in the muddy road. "You'd probably freeze up the second you made it to the front of the room! And even if you didn't, I bet your voice would squeak when you realized that one of the girls watching you is pretty little Ti— oof!"

Zack doubled over from the swift punch in the gut from a red faced Cloud. He stopped in the middle of the road and wheezed for a few seconds before straightening up and jogging back up to Cloud who had continued towards their school. Zack's long legs easily caught up with Cloud's shorter ones. The older boy wasn't done yet.

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" he teased. Cloud did not reply. The black haired boy gave his blonde friend a friendly nudge with his elbow. "Come on, you know I'm just messing with you, man."

Cloud glanced at him from the corner of his eye, a faint twitch of the corner of his mouth and an easy look told Zack he was forgiven. The two continued down the road for a ways. They had almost reached the building when Zack spoke up again.

"But, dude, I gotta ask. Why don't you make a move?"

Cloud once again did not reply and instead quickened his pace with a small frown, pulling ahead of Zack and walking up the school entrance stairs before walking through some double doors. By the time Zack made it into the building, Cloud was disappearing around the corner of one of the hallways that broke off from the main corridor. The blonde turned and quietly called "See you later, Zack."

Zack watched him fully disappear around the corner before shrugging and heading to his first class of the day.

* * *

Cloud walked through the doorway to his first class of the day. Out of all the desks in the room, only a few were occupied with students quietly chatting before the school day started. He walked to the row of desks closest to the clouded windows and chose a seat behind the front row, dropping his knapsack next to the desk. He plopped down into the seat with a huff, leaning back and letting his long legs stick out and one of his long arms hang over the metal bar holding the chair to the desk as he waited for class to start. He glanced at the clock above the blackboard at the front of the room.

_Ten minutes before class starts_… he thought to himself. He turned his head to look through the dirty windows. A tree stood outside the window. The leaves were different hues of reds, oranges, and yellows; the light streaming through the leaves left the colors reflected on the tile floor of the classroom.

Before long, the rest of the class started to leak into the room and take their seats. A flash of dark brown hair in his peripheral caught Cloud's attention. He snuck a glance to his right to see the familiar face of the girl from the market as she sat down at the front of the room in the center aisle. He watched as she pulled out a notebook from her own school bag and started to write down the date in the corner of a blank page. They had shared this class for the whole year, and Cloud hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her. Something about her had drawn his attention and kept it on her. Cloud's quiet and introverted personality had prevented him from approaching her. Feeling his gaze, she turned around, making eye contact. Cloud quickly broke the connection and busied himself with meticulously pulling a notebook out of his bag.

"Hey, Tifa!" a voice called out from the doorway. The girl turned towards the source of the sound with a smile. Two other girls approached and they all started to chat. Cloud listened from his seat, not feeling remorseful at eavesdropping.

"Are you excited for the trip?" one of the new girls exclaimed, flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder. Tifa delicately frowned.

"What trip, Eleanor?" she asked. The other girl with light brown hair stepped forward.

"You forgot, Tifa? This class is going to be taking a field trip to the mako reactor at the top of Mount Nibel two weeks from now," she explained, quirking a brow at her friend's forgetfulness. Tifa gave a small smile at the expression.

"I remember now, Shera. I've just had a lot on my mind."

Before Shera or Eleanor could reply, a woman in her late forties marched into the room with an air of authority. She looked around the room.

"Class is starting. Get in your seats now," she ordered and continued to the front of the room. Eleanor and Shera moved to their seats as Tifa – and Cloud – turned to the front of the room. The woman grabbed a piece of chalk and started scratching away on the board.

"Now," she started without turning to the class. "Who can tell me the importance of the mako reactor at Mount Nibel's peak?"

Tifa lifted her hand into the air before the rest of class.

"Yes, Ms. Lockhart?" said the teacher without turning.

"The mako reactor at the peak was established by ShinRa in 1979. It brings energy to the entire Nibel region. Um, it's also a source of jobs for several hundred people here in Nibelheim," Tifa finished listing off. The teacher finished writing with a sharp tap on the board and turned towards the class. She gave a short nod.

"Very good, Ms. Lockhart."

Tifa gave a happy grin. A few boys in the back shared exasperated looks and laughed at her quick answer, mimicking the way her hand had shot into the air. She turned slightly and sent them a glare before facing the front again, earning a few more laughs. Cloud gave a small frown at their actions.

The class continued on with few interruptions, although the boys at the back continued with the occasional taunt at Tifa. The bell signaled the end of class and the students started packing up to continue to their next classes. Cloud was just slinging his knapsack across his shoulder when a small commotion by the door caught his attention. Looking up, he spotted the boys from earlier surrounding Tifa. One with bright red hair came up and got in her face, a rude smile on his face. He had to lean down to do it; he was a good foot and a half taller than the girl.

"You think you're so smart, huh, Lockhart? You think that because your father is the mayor," he growled, giving Tifa a hard poke in the shoulder. She jerked back with a glare.

"Stop it, Johnny. I don't think I'm better than any of you," she snapped at him. "It's your own fault that you aren't getting good grades in this class. It's not my fault you always waste your time smoking behind the school and drinking."

"Why you –" Johnny growled and pushed her back. Tifa bumped against the wall, her textbook falling onto the ground from her arms. Johnny took a step forward, but was suddenly blocked from moving towards Tifa. Cloud had moved into the middle of the dispute, standing in front of Tifa to block her from the antagonizing teenage boys. He glared up at Johnny, ignoring the fact that he was so much taller than himself.

"Eh?" said Johnny with mock surprise. "What do you think you're doing, little Cloudy? Protecting your girl?" Cloud didn't answer but instead continued to glare at the redhead. Johnny backed up slightly with a grin and turned to his companions before laughing, "Isn't that cute?"

"Leave her alone," said Cloud, mustering up as much serious tone as he could. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"What would you know about what she has or hasn't done, Strife?" asked Johnny slyly. His friends started to laugh as Cloud turned around and bent to pick up Tifa's dropped textbook. He shoved it into her hands and wrapped a hand around her upper arm. He pulled her from the room with him, keeping himself between her and the other boys as they headed out the door. He ignored the catcalls as he strode down the hall, Tifa jogging to keep up with his long legs. Rounding a corner, he stopped and let go of her arm. As she rubbed the spot he had grabbed her, Cloud turned his back to her and stared out the window, trying to keep his temper in check as his blue eyes blazed. Tifa looked carefully at the boy. She shared a class with him, had seen him at the market, and had gone with her father to his residence when the boy's mother had said her son was missing. Tifa knew his last name was Strife, but she didn't know his first name. Johnny had said "Cloudy". She slowly up crept next to him, quietly watching his angry face as he gazed ahead. He looked so angry she was afraid to speak up, but she summoned enough courage to speak.

"Th-thank you," she whispered. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. _Man, his face is like a mask_, she thought to herself as she made out no change in expression. She tried again.

"Thank you for standing up for me. I thought Johnny was going to hurt me," she murmured. His hard expression softened slightly and he gave a small nod before glancing back out the window. Tifa cleared her throat.

"What… what's your name?" she questioned him. He crossed his arms and look down at the ground. All was quiet for a few moments before he quietly said his name.

"Cloud."

She was surprised at how different his voice was from several minutes before. It was quiet and deep with a hint of rough gravel at the lower tones, nothing like the voice that had shouted out at Johnny and his gang. The warning bell rang out, startling the two of them. Cloud turned to face her. Blue eyes met red eyes. Tifa gave a small smile and turned in the direction of her new class. Before she started to walk away she glanced back at the blonde boy.

"It was nice to meet you, Cloud."

Cloud nodded in reply and watched as she walked down the hall. Once she turned around the corner, he looked back at the window and allowed a tiny smile to grace his lips. He started to head to his next class, thinking to himself.

_Zack isn't going to believe this!_


	7. Red Claws, Green Blood

**WARNING! There is bunny rabbit death in this chapter. If you love bunnies, turn back now. You have been warned.**

* * *

The school day had ended. Cloud marched down the stairs of the school entrance. After the events of that morning, he was just ready to go out to the forest and get a chance to clear his thoughts. The rest of the day had been uneventful, but his thoughts had been haunted by ruby eyes. He had been so happy and joyful after he and Tifa had gone their separate ways. She had finally said something to him! Sure, it had been after a sticky situation, but she knew his name.

Cloud had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when he sensed a familiar presence behind him. A quick dart to his left, and a raven blur sailed past his right. Cloud smirked as Zack stumbled to catch himself before falling into the muddy road. The older boy righted himself and returned a smirk of his own.

"Nice, man. You're getting better."

Cloud just shook his head with a grin and continued down the road, Zack tagging alongside him like earlier that morning.

"So, anything interesting happen today?" Zack asked casually.

Thoughts of Tifa immediately surfaced in Cloud's mind, and he looked thoughtful for a second before nodding. Zack smiled at his expression.

"Well, spill it! Did you finally make a move on Tifa?"

Cloud opened his mouth to answer, but shut it again as he contemplated the scene between Johnny, Tifa, and him. He hadn't exactly made a move like the one Zack was implying, but…

He finally replied with, "Sort of."

Zack waited for him to continue.

"I was getting ready to leave my first class, and Johnny and his friends started aggravating Tifa. I guess they targeted her because they thought she was a teacher's pet. Maybe they were jealous that she was so smart, I don't know."

"Go on," Zack prompted.

"They were getting a little out of hand, so I stepped in. I got Tifa out of there before I ended up in another fight with those guys…"

Zack had developed a small frown at the mention of Johnny and the gang, but as he listened to Cloud talk about helping Tifa, his smile returned.

"She thanked you, right?"

Cloud nodded.

"Will she remember your name?"

Cloud hesitated, but gave a small nod. Zack clapped him on the back good-naturedly.

"Ah, Spike, I knew you had it in you! Look at you go, you chick magnet!"

Rolling his eyes, Cloud just kept walking ahead. He looked out to the mountain range rising in the north. As was usual, the sharp peaks were cloaked in fog. The mountains – Mount Nibel especially – seemed to attract clouds and fog despite the clear sunny weather that day. It had always been an enigma to Cloud. Whenever he asked about it, the only answers he received were vague and brief. Some said it was just from the way the mountains were formed, others said it was because the mountains were cursed. Cloud wasn't sure he believed the latter.

His gaze traveled down the desolate, rocky slopes to where the forests started to spring up.

"Hey, Zack."

"Hmm?"

"I might make another hunting run today. Do you want to come with me?"

Zack followed Cloud's gaze to the mountain. His natural, unconscious smile faded slightly.

"Are you sure the fence isn't on?"

"It wasn't the last several times I was up there."

The raven haired boy was quiet for a minute before speaking up.

"I think I can make a run today."

Cloud stopped walking and ran a hand through his golden, fluffed spikes. "Where do you want to meet up?"

"I'll meet you by the water tower in thirty minutes, okay?"

"Alright. See you there."

* * *

Cloud leaned against the frame of the old water tower at the center of town, his arms crossed. The molding wood creaked slightly under his weight. He was dressed in his usual hunting garb: a dark shirt, and close fitting black cargo pants. His steel toed, brown boots broke up the dirt as he kicked at it in his impatience. One of his hands slid into his pockets where he kept several strands of thick string for snares and nets in case Zack decided that would be the more productive way to hunt that day. He removed his hand from his pocket and started to fiddle with his canteen's strap.

He looked up into the sky. It was going to start getting dark in about six hours. They needed to get moving soon. Where was Zack?

Just as he had the thought, Cloud spotted his friend approaching at a jog. The blonde pushed himself off the moldy beams and walked out to meet the other boy. Zack wore a dark green shirt and dark pants. On his feet were worn-out running shoes with a few holes in them. The soles had been worn down to the point where the treads were almost nonexistent. Cloud eyed the footwear as they started to walk along the path leading up the mountain side.

"Those shoes are on their death bed. Why do you keep wearing them?"

"Because," Zack replied, "they're the only shoes that I can get away with ruining. Mom freaks out every time I wear my nicer shoes on the trade roads."

The boys continued on in silence. The trail up the mountain continually grew steeper until it leveled out where construction had blown off the side of the mountain, leaving high walls on the left side of the road and a steep decline on the right. Just before the walls started to rise on the mountain face, Cloud cut to the left, disappearing into the bushes. Zack followed suit. They wound through the brush before finding an animal trail. It was almost invisible, but the two knew it by heart and followed it up along the top of the high walls, before it turned and started to head up the steep slope.

After a half mile of walking, the two hit the steepest part of their hike. The trail had disappeared, but their usual path to the fence was still clear. Without hesitation, Cloud started to scramble up the slope, leaping from boulder to boulder and grabbing the branches of a few hardy trees for balance when he nearly slipped. Zack climbed behind him. The further they went, the harder they started to pant.

After ten minutes of scrambling, the two finally made it to the top of the slope. They collapsed on a pile of boulders, panting and sweating. Behind them on a wide grass lawn stretched the fence, the relatively flat forest area behind it stretching off to slowly creep up the mountain slope a mile away.

"Phew!" gasped Zack as he wiped some of the sweat from his brow. "I always hate that little hike right there. It never gets any easier."

Cloud just grunted an agreement as he took a swig of water from his canteen. When he finished he let out a small gasp as he tried to catch his breath from the struggle up the rocks. He peered down the slope they had just climbed.

"Can you imagine trying to get an entire deer down that slope?"

Zack just shook his head as he leaned back, his legs dangling off the side of his boulder.

"We're just trying to catch a few small critters today, right?"

Cloud just shrugged. "We'll get whatever we can that comes along."

After a ten minute break, the two slid off the boulders and approached the fence. They listened carefully, but there was no hum of electricity coming from the thick cables. As a precaution, Zack grabbed a large tree branch nearby and tossed it at the fence. When it harmlessly bounced off the steel cables without sticking, the two were assured that the fence was turned off. They hurried towards it, sliding through the cables and darting towards the tree line on the other side.

They set a brisk pace and after another thirty minutes of jogging, they came to the place where their hunting weapons were stored. Cloud reached into the dead tree and pulled out his bow and quiver. He set those on the ground and reached back into the hollow tree, grabbing his hunting knife and strapping it to his belt. He turned around and saw Zack waiting for him, spear in hand.

The raven haired teen gave a grin a raised up his spear.

"Let's go get some MEAT!" he shouted with a laugh and charged into the forest. Cloud darted after him.

* * *

Two hours later found the two slowly stalking through the brush as quietly as they could. Ahead of them was a clearing with a few small rabbits hopping around their burrow's entrance. From the shade, Cloud counted about five. The little animals nibbled on the tall blades of grass as the two teenagers began to creep around them in the cover of the trees and bushes.

In Cloud's hand was a long net made of the thick string he had brought along. It was a quick makeshift, but it would do the job. He silently sank to the ground, waiting for the rabbits to wander further from their burrow. On the other side of the tiny clearing, he could see Zack doing the same. The raven haired boy was very well hidden; Cloud was only able to spot him because they had used this tactic multiple times in the past. By this point, the blonde had an idea of where to look. Cloud himself had to stay especially low; his bright gold hair was easy to spot, even in the shade.

The two waited patiently. There was hardly a breeze today, which Cloud appreciated. He did enjoy the wind, but on a hunting trip it could be a danger and an advantage. While the wind rustling the tree leaves could provide some cover from an animal's keen ears, it could also blow Cloud and Zack's scents towards the prey. And on a personal comfort level, Cloud was glad he wasn't experiencing any wind chill. It got chilly this high up the mountain, and he didn't need to be shaking like the leaves in the trees.

A short amount of time passed before the rabbits had moved a safe distance from the burrow. The small creatures were at least thirty feet from the hole. They had headed in Zack's direction; exactly what Cloud had hoped they would do. As quietly as possible, he crept forward on his hands and knees, staying low enough that the tall grass would provide him plenty of cover.

His cautious advance did not alert the rabbits, so he carefully stretched the net across the entrance of the burrow. Now that his trap was ready, he could signal Zack. Cupping his hands in front of his mouth, he imitated a bird call. The short trill was the signal he and his friend used to signal the start of a trap.

Zack heard Cloud's small whistle. He leaned forward and shook the bushes in front of him, loud enough to startle the rabbits into making a mad dash for their home. He took off through the bushes and into the clearing in pursuit.

The rabbits darted through the parted grass, but upon reaching the burrow, they spotted Cloud. They tried to change direction, but he jumped forward, trapping two of them under the net. The other three rabbits shot out in different directions. One made the unfortunate decision to dash past Zack. The teen took his chance, slamming the shaft of his spear against the rabbit's neck, breaking it. The poor creature dropped without a sound.

On the other hand, the rabbits in Cloud's net were letting out distressed calls. Zack ran over, his kill in hand. He set it down and quickly helped Cloud hold down the net.

"Get them quiet before they attract some kind of monster!" he exclaimed. Cloud quickly and carefully silenced the rabbits, making sure they experienced as little pain as possible. He always made sure he killed humanely. In his mind, no animal deserved to suffer. Even if they were just prey animals.

Cloud rocked back onto his heels with a sigh.

"How many is that? Three?"

Zack nodded an affirmation, standing up and brushing off his pants before picking up the net. Making a few tweaks in the netting, he managed to turn the net into a bag. He bent and picked up the rabbits, setting them carefully in the game bag to take back to Nibelheim.

By this point, Cloud had stood up and was brushing off his pants as well when a sudden series of loud hisses and creaks echoed out of the forest. Both young men froze, looking in the direction the sound had come from. It echoed out again, this time a little closer. Zack hissed under his breath.

"Shit…"

Grabbing the game bag, the two took off in the direction of the fence. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them, but the sounds grew steadily closer despite the duo's speed. Within seconds, they could make out a loud humming and buzzing noise as well. Cloud grit his teeth as he pushed himself even harder, flying through the brambles and bushes, trying to outrun the danger.

The boys were still about a half mile away from the fence when a large bright green blur shot in front of them, blocking their path. The boys skidded to a halt just as a second green shape landed behind them. Cloud panted as he stared at the creature before him. It was a large four-legged insect somewhere between four and five feet in length. A long pointed nose with a couple jagged points by the mouth made up about a quarter of its length, while beady, glowing red eyes watched the blonde through the many facets. Two long spikes protruded straight into the air at the junction where the front legs joined the thorax. The skinny light blue abdomen ended in a pointed tan stinger. Long hind legs very similar to a grasshopper's arched above the back. The front legs were covered with more spikes; three on the bottom of the forearm and another three on the hooked front claws which nearly glowed a vivid maroon. It was a monster.

Cloud hated these things, he really did.

"Get ready, Zack!" he cried as the massive bug in front of him rose onto its hind legs, posing its front claws in a praying mantis fashion.

"I've been ready!" Zack replied as he stood back to back with Cloud. His own bug did not rise on its hind legs, instead opting to shift one hind leg against the other, making a loud noise like a cricket. The only difference was that this sound was much harsher.

At the sound – almost as if responding to a signal – Cloud's bug leaped for him. Its powerful hind legs launched it at the boy with a terrific speed.

Cloud shouted, "Get down!" and ducked as the bug flew over the spot where his head had been moments before. Luckily, Zack had dropped like a rock when he heard Cloud's shout, so the large bug missed him as well. The monster landed next to its partner, spinning on one claw to face its targets again. By this point, Cloud had dropped his game bag and knocked an arrow into his bowstring. Zack's spear was at the ready as he and his best friend stood their ground, balancing their weight on the balls of their feet.

The bugs charged at the same time. Cloud let his arrow fly, and it struck his monster bug in between the eyes, killing it almost instantly as it gave a final loud screech. It had been a lucky shot on Cloud's part; the bugs could move almost too quickly for the eye to follow.

Zack on the other hand had not been so lucky. Even though he attempted to dodge out of the way, his particular monster was surprisingly intelligent. It daintily landed just short of ramming him and changed direction the second its front claws hit the dirt, pouncing straight at Zack. He quickly tried to stumble away, but he was not quite fast enough. The long pointed spear of the creature's nose missed completely impaling itself in his leg, but it did scrape against the side of his calf, leaving a superficial three inch long cut. Zack growled in pain as the bug fully passed him. Cloud ran up to his friend's side.

The bug turned again. It rose onto its hind legs like the first had done and took a couple eerily human steps forward, claws at the ready. Cloud loosed another arrow at it, but the creature batted the arrow aside as if it were nothing more than a bothersome fly.

At its brief distraction, Zack rushed forward, thrusting his spear at the monster's chest. The surprise attack didn't work. The bug countered by clamping one of its claws around Zack's wrist and the shaft of the spear, pinning the wood against the side of his arm. Zack cried out as the spikes on the claw started to dig into his skin and draw blood. He used his left hand to try and pry the claws apart, but it didn't do much to move the vice-like claws. Zack turned his head and found himself staring face to face with the monster. He almost shivered at what looked like intelligence in its facetted red eyes.

The glance was broken when Cloud suddenly jumped in, slashing his hunting knife against the forearm of the claw pinning Zack's wrist. The monster let go with a shriek and turned to face Cloud as a thick glowing green liquid oozed out of the gash in its leg. The monster struck out at Cloud with its uninjured claw. The blonde had been waiting for this, and he jumped backwards. The claw missed him, but managed to shred his left sleeve.

The bug was starting to attack again when a spear head suddenly protruded out of its chest, green goo dripping of the tip. The monster shuddered and dropped to the ground, legs twitching for a few minutes before it became still.

Both boys stood in the silence left behind after the battle. Zack clamped his hand over the gash in his leg, stopping the blood flow. Cloud just stared in shock at the dead creature before him as its green blood oozed around it, standing out in stark contrast against the red, rocky soil beneath. Zack's voice snapped the blonde out of his daze though.

"Those have got to be the biggest damned kyuvilduns I've ever seen in my entire life," the raven haired teen huffed as he stared at the fallen bugs. "I thought they were only supposed to reach about two feet in length. I've never heard of a sucker this huge!"

"You're right," Cloud agreed quietly as he crouched down to get a better look at the bug Zack had killed. "But there's one thing that's really bothering me."

Zack looked up. "What's that?"

Cloud met his friend's blue eyes, his own clouded with a slightly horrified wonder.

"The blood. It looks just like mako."

* * *

**A/N Dun dun duuuuh! :D What's this? THE PLOT THICKENS. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I know I sure did! I have decided that I am addicted to action scenes. O_O They are so much fun to write!**

**In case you haven't already figured it out, this story is going to have a mix of normal animals from our world and monsters from the delightful world of Final Fantasy VII. The monster bugs in this chapter really do exist in the FFVII world. Like Zack said, they are called "kyuvilduns," and they are found at..: MT. NIBEL! Oh, I'm so clever~! *sarcasm***

**Look out for new updates! I'm sorry this one took over a month to come out, but at least it's better than the last chapter right?**

**Toodles!**

**~Sparky**


	8. A Surprising Companion

The sky above Nibelheim was clear of any clouds, allowing the sun to bake the normally cold and soggy mountain ground. The raised mud around the hundreds of footprints left on the road had dried to a fragile crust that crumbled to fragments underneath Cloud's feet as he leisurely strolled home, his school bag slung over a single shoulder. He walked with his back slouched as he gazed up at the sky, lost in his thoughts. He and Zack had returned home from their action packed hunt after a few hours of limping on Zack's part. He had been fine when he and Cloud had left the bugs behind, but once they had passed the fence and made it halfway down the boulder pile, it had become obvious that his leg wasn't handling the stress of climbing with an injury very well. They had slowed down the pace a good amount to make sure Zack wouldn't end up conspicuously limping into town.

_After all_, Cloud thought, _what we do isn't legal._

He deviated slightly from his straight walking path to start kicking a rock along in front of him. His thoughts drifted back a few days earlier. Once the two friends had made it into town, they had managed to get to the poverty stricken area of Nibelheim without being stopped by any of the guards. They made their usual visits to the people who were worse off. One family in particular had a young boy who had taken a liking to Cloud after a few visits. Denzel was always thrilled to see his blonde-haired hero come walking through the decrepit and crumbling wooden cabins that made up the slum of Nibelheim. It had always struck Cloud as a little odd that the boy was happier to see him than the food he had brought for the struggling family.

That day a few days ago, Cloud and Zack had taken the time to visit with the families a little longer than usual despite Zack's injury. They had even played with the children for a time while the sun was beginning to cast deep shadows as it set. Even though he had been quite tired, Cloud always felt reenergized as he played a game of tag with some of the older children while Zack quietly played chanting hand games with the youngest. Their happiness and joy always lifted the tired spirits who watched them. It had been during Cloud's short game of tag with the kids when he had spotted Tifa in the distance. The girl had stood at the end of the long street that wound through the slums, smiling as she watched the kids tackle Cloud the second he had frozen in surprise. When he'd managed to squirm out from beneath the dog pile, she had disappeared.

As Cloud's mind came back to the present, he found that he had a small smile on his face. He quickly shook his head in embarrassment at himself and readjusted the strap on his shoulder as he picked up the pace towards home, his rock forgotten. He turned the corner at the town intersection and was surprised to see Tifa and her friends Eleanor and Shera standing together on the other side of the street, chatting amiably as he walked past. Eleanor and Shera were giggling at something while Tifa's face took on a faint red hue. She opened her mouth to retaliate something when she spotted Cloud walking by. Their gazes met for a brief moment before she quickly turned away and she pushed her friends away from him. He was startled at the cold move, but the surprise turned into confusion as Shera spotted him and grabbed Tifa's hand as Eleanor darted behind her friend and also gave Tifa a strong push. Tifa balked at their actions, refusing to go forward. Cloud kept walking as he watched the whole spectacle before turning away and shaking his head ever so slightly.

_Jeez,_ he thought to himself. _Girls are weird!_

He continued down the road for another minute before he heard quiet footsteps running up behind him. He glanced back to see Tifa trailing a few feet back. He stopped and waited for her as she made the last few steps towards him.

"Hi," she said as she came to a halt. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and clasped her hands together in front of her. She looked up at him, her ruby eyes as bright as ever. Cloud was unsure about how to act at the sudden approach.

"Hi…" he murmured back uncertainly at her. What was she talking to him for? Wouldn't she rather be talking with her friends than him?

Apparently not. Back at the street corner, the other two girls were smiling at Cloud and Tifa. Shera put her hand around Eleanor's arm and tugged her away as they disappeared around the corner. Cloud looked back at Tifa only to find that she had been watching her friends as well. If looks could kill, Tifa's glare would have murdered her friends five times over. She felt Cloud watching and quickly reverted back to her face from moments before, grinning slightly in embarrassment.

"So," she started. "What are you doing?"

Cloud looked down at the ground and stubbed at it with his toe. "Just heading home is all," he answered. "Why do you ask?" It was Tifa's turn to look at the ground.

"Well, you just looked lonely," she said, "and I was wondering if you would like some company on your way home."

Cloud could not believe his ears. Had she just offered to walk home with him? Had he heard her right?

As he stared blankly at her, her grin fell. "I understand if you don't want me to bother you," she said, turning away. "This was kinda sudden coming from someone who never talked to you in the past… Sorry to bother you." She turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Cloud called after her. She faced him again. The blonde wanted to crawl under a rock from his nerves as he continued, "You… can walk with me. I don't mind."

_Don't mind! That makes it sound as if she bothers you! Way to make a good impression!_ Cloud mentally berated himself. His thoughts were thrown off course as Tifa smiled again. She began walking down the road in the direction of Cloud's house. "Let's get going then, shall we?" she asked past her usual smile.

"Yeah," Cloud said as he followed her down the road.

* * *

The walk to Cloud's house was mostly silent with Tifa asking an occasional question that Cloud would answer, albeit slowly in his nervousness at her presence. When they reached his house, he darted inside briefly after telling Tifa to wait on the rickety porch. She stood there curiously for a few moments as Cloud rushed to his room and threw his knapsack on his bed before shutting his bedroom door and heading back outside. He scratched the back of his head before he murmured, "Thank you for walking home with me. That was… nice of you." Tifa simply smiled back.

"Oh, no worries! I'm glad you didn't mind my company." She looked away from him and towards the barn a few hundred feet away. "Say, is it alright with you if I go look at the horses?" Her eyes gazed up imploringly. Cloud was surprised and slightly thrilled that she would like to see them.

"Uh, okay," he stuttered. "Follow me." He walked down the steps with Tifa right behind him and headed to the barn. The path to the barn was well worn and the dry weather made puffs of dirt rise under their steps. The two young people stepped into the barn where the cooler air was a relief. All the horse stalls were empty, but each had a two piece door leading outside. The upper and lower halves could swing separate from the other or be latched together to function as a single door. They were currently all single doors, and each stall's turnout door was open to the air. As Cloud and Tifa walked through the barn aisles, Tifa was constantly turning her head, looking left and right at all the different stalls. An excited expression lit up her face as she ran to look the ladder that led up to the loft. Before Cloud could stop her, she jumped onto the perfectly vertical ladder and started to pull herself up. He opened his mouth and raised his hand to warn her to be careful, but as if she had read his mind, the girl turned towards him, her hands securely grasping the next rung of the ladder.

"I'll be fine!" she reassured him and then she jumped up onto the loft platform before disappearing. Cloud just gave a small sigh and started climbing up the ladder as well. When he reached the top of the loft, he spotted Tifa studying the horse tack and gear. Hearing him step onto the platform, she turned towards him. In her hand were a few straps of leather held together by buckles and a metal bar with prongs that had more leather straps attached to them.

"What is this?" she asked. Cloud took the leather from her hands.

"It's a bridle," he answered. Tifa reached out and touched the metal bar.

"What is this then?" she asked again.

"It's called a bit," said Cloud. He laid the bit in his hand and grabbed the back of the bridle, stretching out the straps the way they would fit around a horse's head. "This bar goes into the horse's mouth," he explained. He then pointed to the prongs. "These are what you attach the reins to. Without reins, you can't steer and guide the horse."

Tifa listened attentively through his explanation before she wandered over to another piece of tack. "This is a saddle, right?" she inquired, pointing at what was indeed a saddle. Cloud nodded. Tifa bent down and hooked one hand under the pommel and another one under the cantle and lifted the saddle. She weighed it in her hands for a few moments before carefully setting it back on the ground. "It's heavier than it looks," she said as she straightened up and brushed off her hands. Cloud shrugged again.

"It's about thirty pounds, if I had to guess," he stated. Tifa gave a small "hmm" and then nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," she agreed. She walked past Cloud and started down the ladder. Once she was at the bottom, Cloud climbed down after her. As he was climbing down, he heard some footsteps in one of the stalls and then Tifa give a small, excited gasp. He saw that one of the horses had come into the barn from outside. It was the gray mare Kat. She stuck her head over the stall door and gazed curiously at the newcomer, and Tifa stared back with twinkling eyes. Cloud walked over gently placed his hand on Kat's forehead. The mare started to carefully rub her head against his palm, trying to rub an itch close to her ear. Tifa timidly crept over. Cloud found it a little amusing that the fairly outgoing girl was suddenly shy and quiet in the presence of a large animal. "This is Kat," he told Tifa as she continued to gaze at the horse. "Would you like to say hi?"

Tifa looked a little startled at the suggestion but she asked, "Is there something I need to do?"

"Well, put your hand out like this." Cloud demonstrated. He held out his hand flat and palm up. Tifa copied him. "Then just put your hand out to let her smell you. Let her come to you."

Tifa did as he directed, and the gray mare stretched out her neck. She made a huffing sound as she sniffed Tifa's hand, and the girl snatched her hand back as if she had been bitten. She then laughed at her small moment of fear and stuck her hand out again for Kat to sniff. She looked back at Cloud for reassurance and he gave a nod. Tifa then gave a small yelp as Kat started rubbing her upper lip against the girl's palm, looking for a snack. When she found none, the mare contented herself with licking Tifa's hand again and again. Tifa looked back at Cloud with confusion across her face. "I-is this normal?" she asked as Kat kept licking. Cloud gave the tiniest smile.

"It's normal for her. None of the other horses lick people." Tifa chuckled at that and started to stroke the horse's neck. Her eyes softened.

"She's such a pretty horse. This is so cool," she murmured. Cloud quietly watched as Tifa pet the horse, not feeling a need to answer. A few minutes later, some sounds came from a neighboring stall and the old mare Fantasia stuck her head over the wall to see what was going on. Tifa walked over to the new mare's stall and acquainted herself with her while Kat pinned her ear angrily at the sudden lack of attention. The other horses were also starting to make their ways to their own stalls, and Tifa went from horse to horse, asking Cloud their different names as well as other questions. What did they eat? How big did they grow? Were they hard to take care of? They continued this pattern, Tifa asking and Cloud answering until they had reached the last horse. That was when Tifa said, "Oh, I think I already know your name." She turned to Cloud. "This is Nabi, right? The one you rode to town a week or so ago and rode on after those thieves?"

Cloud stiffened slightly at the last mention. He'd forgotten that Tifa had been one of the people searching for him at his mother's request. He gave a stiff nod in reply. Tifa did not push it any further and instead crooned at Nabi as she stroked his soft fur. After a few minutes, Cloud mentioned that he needed to feed the horses. Tifa immediately offered to help. They threw hay to the horses and poured grain into feed buckets that they quickly set into each stall. As they worked, Tifa continued to laugh at the neighs and nickers of hungry horses. When they were done, Cloud and Tifa went outside and sat on the fence, watching the sun beginning to set. The air had cooled down a bit since that afternoon. A pleasant breeze drifted past, tossing a few strands of Tifa's hair over her shoulder and pushing Cloud's bangs further into his eyes.

As he impatiently swatted at them with his hand, Tifa turned towards him. "Hey, Cloud?" she asked softly.

"Hm?" He continued to try and get his unruly hair out of his face.

"Was that mare that was stolen special to you?" Tifa questioned carefully. Cloud stopped messing with his hair and looked up, staring straight in front of him and not at Tifa.

"Yes."

Tifa nodded sadly. "I thought so." She turned away. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why was she so special?"

Cloud looked down at his hands and started picking at one of nails. His silence made Tifa feel as if she had overstepped a boundary. "You don't have to answer," Tifa blurted out. "That was a bit of a personal question."

Cloud glanced at her. His expression was not angry, which made Tifa feel a little better. He said, "It's alright. I don't mind answering." He jumped off of the fence to sit on the ground, leaning his back against a wooden post. "The reason she was special is because she was a gift to me from my father before he died." Tifa made a quiet sound of sympathy.

"I'm sorry…" she said to the blonde.

He simply said, "What's done is done. I can only hope she's safe. They took her either downstream or upstream by boat. I would assume downstream, but I can't go that way. Not with all the patrols the Caps have around there." They lapsed into silence again. It seemed to be the norm for Cloud, but Tifa did not like the silence. She hopped off the fence.

"I think it's time for me to head home. I don't want to be walking home alone in the dark," she said as she started to walk to the road. "Thank you for letting me see the horses, Cloud, and teaching me a few things. It was really nice of you." With that, she hurried her pace. She did not expect Cloud to jump over the fence and jog up beside her.

"I'll walk you home," he said to her.

"Oh, you don't have to," Tifa told him. He shook his head.

"Yes I do. It's not safe for girls to walk alone when it's late," he said stubbornly.

"Well, it looks like you'll be the one keeping me company, huh?" She leaned forward to see his expression, a grin forming on her lips. Cloud turned away from her. Was his face a little red?

"I guess so," he answered.

They walked and carried on a small conversation that drifted from topic to topic. They talked about school and their teachers. Cloud mentioned a few stories about his misadventures with Zack, and Tifa told him about her different experiences with Shera and Eleanor. The difference in their lives was a little off-putting to Cloud, but Tifa seemed to find his life fascinating, so he continued to talk in his low murmurs. But once they entered town, he trailed off. He didn't know where Tifa lived. She picked up on his hesitation and said, "I'll lead from here." They made their way to the wealthier side of town and Cloud uneasily remembered that Tifa's father was Mayor Lockhart. Even though the town mayor was more of a figure head at this point due to the Caps, his position still gave him an important status. Even though he was nervous, Cloud didn't mention it to Tifa.

When they finally reached her house, the red sky was streaked with golden clouds and the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon. Lights were starting to come on in the different homes around Tifa's house; they were the only houses in Nibelheim that had a decent source of electricity. Tifa hurried up the steps with Cloud right behind her. She pulled a key out of one her pockets and unlocked the door. As it swung open, the two teenagers were surprised to see Mayor Lockhart himself standing just inside the threshold, as if he had been about to leave the house. The man was not exactly the tallest person in the village – Cloud wondered if he even reached six feet in height – but he had a stocky build that made it seem as if he could knock someone flying with one swing of his fist. The man's dark brown eyes widened at the sudden appearance of his daughter, and his bushy mustache seemed to twitch.

"Well! I was wondering when you would get home, Tifa! You had me worried," the mayor's deep voice boomed. Tifa gave an almost unnoticeable roll of her eyes.

"I'm fine, Dad. Cloud made sure I was safe and walked me home." At this, the mayor looked past his daughter's shoulder and spotted the blonde young man behind her. Cloud shifted uncomfortably under the older man's scrutiny.

Finally, Mayor Lockhart said, "That was very kind of you, young man. You're Stella's son, aren't you?"

"Yes sir," replied Cloud.

"How is your head doing?" asked Mayor Lockhart. "I heard that people have been awful fond of knocking it around lately."

Cloud grimaced and said, "I'm doing alright, but I've been better."

"That's completely understandable," replied the mayor. He then put a hand on Tifa's shoulder. "Well, Cloud, I appreciate that you walked Tifa home. Now if you will please excuse us, it's getting late, and I'm sure your mother is beginning to worry about you." The man went back into his house after a wave.

Before Tifa followed him inside, she gave Cloud a final smile.

"Thanks, Cloud. You know, you're better company than I thought you would be." Cloud gave an impish grin at the statement and ruffled the hair on the back of his head.

"Um. Thanks," he trailed off. He turned his back to Tifa and started his long walk home, calling over his shoulder, "See you at school tomorrow."

Tifa was about to go into her house when she suddenly remembered something. She hurried back to the street and called, "Cloud! You remember that the field trip to the mako reactor on Mt. Nibel is tomorrow, right?"

In fact, Cloud did not remember. His week had been so distracting that he had completely forgotten. "No, I forgot. Thanks for the reminder!" he shouted back. Tifa smiled and waved at him before finally disappearing into her house. As Cloud headed home, he wondered at the events of that afternoon.

_I wonder what tomorrow will be like?_ he thought to himself.

If only he knew.

* * *

**A/N: I'm back everyone. This chapter definitely took a while to release, and I apologize. It somehow got deleted off my computer and I was too frustrated to rewrite it for a while. But here it is! The story is going to finally pick up the pace starting next chapter, so stay tuned!**

**Review Responses:**

**Irish-Brigid: **There's definitely going to be more plot twists after this chapter! I'm going to blow your MIND! :D  
**JukedSolid: **I'm glad you like it so far! There wasn't any action in this chapter, so I hope you didn't get too bored. xD There's gonna be some excitement next chapter!  
**sunflowerspot: **It's alright. I put that warning there just for that reason!  
**J Luc Pitard: **I'm trying to find a way to make Jacob pop up one more time in the story. I've had the idea since I started writing, I'm just not too sure how I'm going to incorporate it though. I'll cross that bridge when we get there. I hope you liked the Cloud and Tifa interaction in this chapter! Zack is going to be fine, he's not the one I'd be worried about in this story. ._.  
**SapphyreMyst:** Ew! That would freak me out. I pity you and the poor bug who came back to life during that! DX Truth is, I love praying mantis bugs. They are, like, the coolest bug ever. o_o

**Thank you for the reviews! I love you guys!**


	9. The Mako Reactor

The next day, Cloud found himself sitting in his history teacher's classroom in his usual slouched position while she called the roll. As her nasally voice called out different names, his head lolled to the side and he stared out the window, studying the weather.

After the sudden heat blast, all the moisture in the ground had evaporated and gathered into large storm clouds above Mt. Nibel that threatened to rain at any moment. Deep in the clouds, lightning flashes were briefly lighting up the vapor masses. Despite the weather, the two history classes at the school had decided to push through with the field trip to the mako reactor anyway. They would join together to take a battered old bus up the mountain side to the reactor.

Zack had immediately nominated Cloud as his seat buddy the second he found the blonde after receiving the news in his class.

"Of course, I'll let you get the window seat," the raven haired young man had laughed. Cloud grimaced. He hated mechanical transportation vehicles.

Looking back to the front of the class, he noticed Mrs. Rigs was almost finished with the roll call.

_Finally_, he thought to himself.

Mrs. Rigs slapped the attendance book closed and stood up from her desk. "Alright, students! Settle down! Yes, you too, Johnny. So! As you all know we're taking a field trip to the mako reactor today." There were a few excited whispers and exasperated moans from the teenagers.

"Quiet! We'll be heading out to the bus in just a few minutes. We will have some of the ShinRa enforcement officers with us to make sure none of you get into any trouble, _Johnny_." The redhead smirked from his seat in the back of the room.

Mrs. Rigs continued, "We also have been given the honor of receiving a tour of the mako reactor from one of Midgar's top scientists! This is a truly rare opportunity, and I expect all of you to make the most of it!" More whispers circulated around the room and even Cloud perked up at the news. Nobody ever came from Midgar. Because of its status as capitol of Gaia, the renowned and rich from the upper crust of society flocked to the metropolis. Very few who lived there viewed any city or town on the outside worthy of attention. The fact that one of the capitol's top scientists was visiting was phenomenal at the very least.

As the class started filing out of the room, Cloud spotted Tifa. She gave a small wave and said, "Hi, Cloud," before disappearing into the swarm of people making their way down the hall to the front entrance of the building. Cloud pushed into the crowd himself and started weaving through all the people. As he made it out of the building, he spotted the bus and his heart sank.

The old bus was painted with the typical yellow color, but the paint had started to flake off and reveal the rusted metal underneath. The small stop sign on the driver's side had been bent to an almost ninety degree angle and one of the headlights was completely busted and fogged over. Looking it over, Cloud started to wonder if the rickety old bus would even make it out of Nibelheim, a whopping trip of six or seven minutes. Standing around the bus were the ShinRa enforcement officers, but Cloud was surprised at their dress.

Instead of the traditional Caps uniform, these men wore a more militaristic style. Each man wore a strange, streamlined helmet with a small protrusion covering the forehead. The protrusion had three red glass orbs forming a triangle in the center. Underneath it, the troopers' eyes were covered by a dark visor. The soldiers wore a light green scarf, a button down dark blue shirt, and baggy pants of the same color were held up by a thick leather belt with padded suspenders. On their shoulders were smooth silver pauldrons and their knees had metal guards as well. They wore brown leather boots and gloves as well as leather straps that strapped the bottom of the pant legs to the boots so they would not get caught in something. A nightstick was strapped to one of their legs, and – more alarmingly – two or three of the troopers even had semi-automatic weapons strapped over a shoulder.

As Cloud studied them, Zack walked up and crossed his arms at the sight. "Are the guns really necessary? What on earth do they think we're going to be doing up there, anyway?"

"Maybe it's for the monsters around the reactor," guessed Cloud. "After all, we've seen firsthand what all the mako is doing to them."

"Still, it's a bit unsettling."

"Yeah."

The doors of the bus opened and the students started to climb into the rusted out vehicle. Cloud and Zack walked down the aisle of the bus, looking for a decent seat. All the imitation leather cushions were worn to the point that foam and springs stuck up out of some, while others had chew marks from some type of animal. As Cloud and Zack sat in their seat, the bench beneath them gave a drawn out creak. Both boys shared a slightly nervous glance.

"Do you think this hunk of junk will keep itself together on the way up and back?" Zack chuckled.

"No, not really," muttered Cloud as the doors of the bus swing shut with a hiss.

The bus driver was one of the officers in charge of the trip, but his slightly intimidating presence from his military garb was canceled out when he stuck the key in the bus ignition and the machine grumbled to life for a brief second before giving a belching cough – which gained a couple of squeals from the students in the front seats – and shuddering back into silence. The driver cursed and opened the bus doors to march out and promptly kick the bald tires and then the hood of the bus.

Zack was snorting at the scene when the engine suddenly roared back to life, once again startling the students in the front of the bus. The driver climbed back into the bus, shut the doors, and then the bus started to pull away from the school. Zack started up a conversation with some girls on the neighboring seat while Cloud stared out the window at the scenery going by. It only took a few minutes for the bus to leave Nibelheim and start the long winding climb up the mountain to the reactor.

While the bus was groaning and scrambling up the gravel road, Zack started to joke with the girls about the structural integrity of the bus as they were bounced around by the bumpy road. Their laughs echoed hollowly in Cloud's ears as he felt his stomach start to churn slightly at the blur of trees outside his window. He clamped his mouth shut and held still, fearing any movement would upset his nauseous stomach even more.

Zack turned to ask his friend something, but when he saw his stiff posture and pale face, he thought otherwise.

"Oh, man. I forgot you had problems with motion sickness. Just hang in there, alright buddy?"

Cloud didn't answer as he tried to keep down his breakfast.

When the bus finally wheezed to a halt at the mako reactor and the students were let off, Cloud bolted out of the doors with Zack still a few people back. He came to a stop a few feet away from the bus and bent over, concentrating on breathing as he fought down his close call with vomiting. As his sweaty face started to regain some color, he groaned at the thought of making the second trip down the mountain side. He felt a gentle hand on his back and looked up to see Tifa, concern reflected in her deep red eyes.

"Are you okay, Cloud?" she asked as he looked back down at the ground. After a brief moment, he nodded and straightened up with a deep breath.

"I'm fine, thanks," he said curtly. Tifa backed off and headed back to Eleanor and Shera with a little wave. Zack walked up and took his arm.

"Come on, man. Let's get with the rest of the group," he ordered as he pulled the blonde's arm toward the crowd of students.

In front of the crowd, one of the ShinRa officers had stepped forward. His red scarf made him stand out from the other troopers.

"Okay!" he belted out over the noise of the talking students. The teenagers all gave him their attention and quieted down. Once he was sure everyone was listening, the trooper continued.

"This facility is the source of income for many of you and your families, so I expect all of you to act respectfully inside and do not disrupt any of the processes or distract the workers even if you know them! If any of you make a problem, you will be removed from the group and forced to remain on the bus while one of my men babysits you. Do not let that happen! We have no patience for that type of crap, got it?" A few mumbles of consent came from the group. "Good! Do exactly as we say and no one will get hurt in the reactor."

With that said, the trooper took a step back. The entrance to the reactor – a large metal wall – slid down into the ground just then and out stepped a large bellied man in his late fifties with gray steaked, dull black hair. He wasn't exactly the tallest person Cloud had seen; he appeared to be at most five feet and seven inches. He wore a lab coat with tan slacks and a t-shirt underneath the coat that said "Banora." The man strolled over to the school group. Every step he took made a loud clapping noise, and Cloud realized he was wearing flip flops. The man came to a stop and started stroking his graying goatee while he surveyed the group before him.

"Good afternoon, children," he rumbled. His voice was quite deep. "My name is Dr. Hollander. I will be giving you all… a 'tour' of this mako reactor."

The students started whispering among themselves. So this was the scientist from Midgar. Cloud stared disbelievingly at Dr. Hollander's attire. That was what the rich wore? Seriously?

As if reading his thoughts, Zack leaned over and whispered, "He's not exactly easy on the eyes, is he?" Cloud's expression answered the question for him.

Dr. Hollander began walking back to the reactor. Cloud could have sworn he heard the scientist mutter, "Hopefully this won't take forever. I don't have time for this."

The students followed the scientist into the reactor. The many different shoes clanked against the metal floor as the ShinRa troops shut the door behind the two school classes. They all came to a stop on a large platform with a railing to stop people from wandering over the edge and into the large, glowing open space. The students lined up against the railing and peered over the edge. Cloud grabbed the railing tightly as he looked over the edge and felt a sense of vertigo. The reactor was deep; there appeared to be at least five stories that lead down to the glowing pit of roiling mako below. The thick liquid sluggishly splashed against the sides of the pit, leaving splatters of glowing green residue on the rock walls. A few of the splashes of mako appeared to be evaporating, but it was a strange type of evaporation if that was what one could call it. Strands and wisps of green light snaked off the drying mako before disappearing. About twenty feet above, few catwalks stretched across the diameter of the pit, leading to different rooms carved into the stone of the mountain side. Looking up, Cloud realized that the reactor was open to the sky. It made sense, he thought as he detected a strange metallic and earthy smell coming from the mako far below.

Dr. Hollander started the tour by leading the teenagers down two flights of stairs and into a large control room with a glass wall. Behind the glass was a large room that had been blasted into the rock. A large turbine hummed inside. As all the students gawked, Dr. Hollander explained the usage of mako.

"… and because of those properties, mako does not need to be enriched like uranium. By itself, mako releases more than five times the amount of energy in fission than the uranium-235 that was used in nuclear reactors over sixty years ago. There are no harmful air emissions, and the byproducts of mako fission are less radioactive than the mako itself, and therefore are released back into the Planet's Lifestream for later use." Cloud stared through the glass without fully seeing as the scientist drawled on in the background. Tifa walked up next to him and Zack with her two friends. The girls and boys stuck together as the scientist led them out of the room. The tour continued to a byproduct containment room and then to a room for the staff to suit up in case of an emergency.

As the group made its way back into the large open space, a boom of thunder sounded above and rattled the catwalk the group was currently standing on. One of the troopers quickly interrupted Dr. Hollander mid-sentence.

"Sir, the lightning storm is right on top of us. We need to take these kids into one of the rooms so there isn't a lightning strike hazard."

Hollander laughed. "No, that's alright. We're on the last leg of the tour, we have time to make it to the top story so they can get on their bus and go home."

"But sir—"

"Quiet! Quit wasting my time and do as I say!" the scientist snapped. The trooper backed off, but Cloud, Tifa, Zack, Shera, and Eleanor looked at each other nervously.

"A lightning storm while we're standing on these metal catwalks?" whispered Tifa. "I don't like it." She nervously hugged herself as she looked up at the dark sky above. A light drizzle had started to fall down into the reactor and patter on all the walking surfaces, making them slippery and dangerous. She really didn't like the look of this. All her senses were screaming at her that something wasn't right. She shivered and then felt a hand on her arm. She looked up met Cloud's icy blue eyes. They glittered reassuringly.

"It's going to be fine, Tifa," he said in his quiet, rough voice. A flash of lightning above lit up the gloomy interior of the reactor, and for a split second, the lighting around them was a mix of white light and glowing green as a crackling boom echoed around the reactor. It was enough to change Hollander's mind.

"We're going to end the tour now!" he shouted over the rain that had started falling harder into the reactor. "Everyone, hurry back to the room we were just in!"

All the students began scrambling back towards the rock wall. Cloud and the others were at the very back of the group as it rushed to the safety of the suit up room. The rain pinged loudly against the walkways, making them even more slippery and treacherous. Another flash of lightning crashed overhead, prompting screams from some of the students and startling Tifa. She faltered for a small step and it cost her her balance as her foot skidded and slipped on the metal. She went down hard with a yell as she slid under the railing that stood between her and the mako below. Cloud stopped running and turned to spot her hanging from the catwalk with two hands. Zack and the two other girls were almost to the suit up room when they heard Tifa's shout. The three stopped and started to frantically run back to their friends, but Cloud waved them away.

"Don't worry!" he called to them. "I've got her!" The three nodded and they made it to the room within a few more steps as Cloud fell on his belly and quickly grabbed Tifa's wrists. "Don't worry, I got you!" he grunted as he started trying to pull her back onto the catwalk, ignoring the feeling of his straining muscles. "I won't let you fall! I promise!" She stared up at him in terror, tears running down her cheeks. A couple of the troopers spotted Cloud helping Tifa to her feet and started rushing towards them.

"What are you two kids doing?" shouted one of the troopers. "Hurry it up!"

Just as Cloud and Tifa were about to answer, Cloud felt the air crackle around him and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. A third lightning strike flashed – into the reactor itself. The bolt of electricity from the sky struck one of the catwalks overhead and the structure broke off from the wall with the screeching sounds of tearing metal. Cloud and Tifa could only watch in horror as the large metal walkway seemed to fall slow motion towards them. The troopers were skidding to a halt on the slippery catwalk and shouting at the two to move, but there was no time. The large hunk of metal railing and platform crashed against the wall, knocking a few large rocks loose before slamming into Cloud and Tifa's catwalk.

The impact was incredible. Cloud was knocked into the air for a few seconds alongside Tifa before they hit the bending and flexing catwalk as it started to tilt down into the mako, the weight of the fallen walkway proving to be too much for it to hold. Tifa was securely holding on to a mangled piece of railing, grasping it with all her strength. Cloud was relieved to see she was safe, and he started to crawl towards her when their catwalk shuddered and started dipping down at an even faster rate, groans from the metal echoing around them. Adrenaline spiked in Cloud's blood and his stomach dropped as he felt himself start to slide away from Tifa and towards the drop into the Planet's glowing green lifeblood below.

Spotting him slipping, Tifa cried out, "Cloud, take my hand!" She reached as far as she dared towards him as he tried to reach back. The two locked eyes like that day not so long ago in the hallway. The difference between then and now was as obvious as black and white. Cloud's clear blue eyes were dark with terror and Tifa could only look on in horror as his hand missed hers and he continued to slide out of reach. His hands grabbed at the smooth platform surface, but he could find no purchase.

Cloud helplessly started to slide down the steep slope of the broken catwalk at an even faster rate. As he slid down, he sped over a jagged piece of metal that had broken off the platform. It sliced the underside of his left forearm and his mouth opened in a silent scream at the sharp pain. The silent scream turned into a real one that echoed throughout the facility as he finally reached the steepest point and dropped off the catwalk towards the bubbling mako below. He could see Tifa's mouth open as she cried out in horror to him, but he could not hear it or his classmates' screams over the blood roaring in his ears as he fell.

He had always thought that twenty feet was not that big of a drop, but his fall felt like an eternity. He could only watch as the mako rushed to meet him. He crashed into the pool of viscous liquid and fell deep into the pool before he finally came to a halt. He frantically swam towards what he hoped was the surface, but he was completely lost and the thick mako made movement extremely difficult in his panic. After a few seconds, Cloud's eyes started to tingle, but the feeling soon turned into pricks of itches and pain. The fresh gash on his arm lazily leaked blood into the green liquid being churned by his movement and the mako took its place in his bloodstream.

It burned like fire and had the strange almost gritty feeling like a limb that was regaining circulation after falling asleep. Cloud felt the sensation slowly travel down into his left hand and slowly up his arm towards the rest of his body. The pain was the most debilitating thing he had ever felt in his life. He opened his mouth to cry out in pain, but the mako flooded his mouth while he lost precious air from his lungs. The mako gushed into his lungs, burning just as badly there as in his arm. He thrashed frantically as the mako spread throughout his body, screaming into the green world around him until he suddenly heard whispers. The whispers echoed in the back of his mind, building momentum until they became shouts that echoed in his skull. Memories not his own started to pound against his mind and flash before his eyes. In his shock, Cloud stopped struggling in the mako, not noticing as he slowly started to sink. He watched through frozen eyes as the light green surface of the mako pool started to disappear as he sank into its dark green depths.

The cacophony of voices in his head reached a fever pitch and he finally screamed out in his head, _Leave me alone!_ The voices did not stop and Cloud felt himself start to sink into a mental darkness. He panicked and tried to shake himself into awareness, but the darkness kept closing in. He felt his eyes begin to close as the gritty fire burned throughout his body, paralyzing him. He soon became too weak to fight back.

When strong arms wrapped around him and started to pull him towards the surface, he was too deep in the safe, painless recesses of his mind to feel his rescue.

Tifa stood with her classmates, wrapped in a blanket as she shivered in shock at what had just happened. After Cloud had fallen into the mako, he had not resurfaced. The ShinRa officers had run around the far length of the catwalk to retrieve her while calling into their radios for more help. They had carefully pulled her back away from the mangled railing despite her flailing and screams at them to do something about Cloud. As they walked the shaking girl back to her classmates, Tifa had spotted some of the reactor's paramedics gearing up in the special suits she had seen in the room her classmates were taking refuge in. The men had run to a set of metal rings bolted into the wall and one of them had put on a harness with a cable that the others had hooked onto the rings before they lowered him into the mako.

Tifa and her classmates watched on as the search continued. After a few minutes, the cable jerked a few times and the men on the secure catwalk started pulling the cable up out of the mako. The group of students had surged forward to see what was happening, Tifa in the front.

Slowly, the man who had gone into the mako after Cloud started to rise out of the lake of green. As his chest cleared the surface, everyone could see a head with limp blonde spikes resting against him. As the diver finally came free of the mako, Tifa stared at Cloud's motionless form. In her heart, she feared for the worst.

The diver finally settled onto the catwalk and he set Cloud down so he was lying flat on the ground. The diver hurried off to change out of his suit while the other workers got to work on the small blonde teenager. One of them immediately started performing CPR and the other reached into a bag he had brought with him and started to towel off as much mako from Cloud as he could. Tifa only managed to see that much before the teachers, troopers, and Dr. Hollander started to push the students back into the suit up room.

"What are you doing?!" shouted Tifa. Mrs. Rigs gently placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Tifa, we want you all to stay in here so you don't see if… If something bad happens," the teacher explained in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.

Tifa stared up at her teacher, not able to comprehend what she meant until it suddenly hit her. "Oh, goddess. You think he's going to die, don't you?" Mrs. Rigs' silence confirmed it for Tifa, and tears started to streak down her face. A few of her classmates watched the scene with fear written across their features. Eleanor and Shera wove through the crowd to reach their friend, each giving her a reassuring hug as she stared at their teacher.

"He was down there for over five minutes, dear," the older woman explained softly. "He... may have drowned. And even if he didn't, very few people survive that much exposure to mako."

Tifa shook her head in denial. "That can't be! He'll be alright!" Before her teacher could answer, Tifa roughly pushed past and ran to where the reactor paramedics were trying to resuscitate Cloud. The shouts of the ShinRa officers were ignored as she raced past them. She slowed to a stop as she reached the blonde young man. The paramedic performing CPR did not allow himself to be distracted as Tifa kneeled down next to Cloud, taking his right hand in hers as she avoided his injured left arm. His skin was cold and damp from the drying mako that coated it. She looked into his face, willing his closed blue eyes to open.

"Please wake up, Cloud," she whispered. "You saved me. Please come back."

As if answering her plea, Cloud's chest suddenly started heaving as he began coughing up the green mako out of his lungs and taking in life-giving gulps of air. His paramedic turned to one of the officers who had chased after Tifa and told him, "Go alert the teachers and chaperones that this young man is breathing again." The troop gave a nod a sprinted back to the students, careful not to slip on the wet catwalk. Tifa and the paramedic carefully rolled Cloud onto his side so he would not choke on the green gunk he hacked out of his lungs.

The paramedic reached into the bag next to him and pulled out two towels. Handing one to Tifa, he ordered, "You can clean the mako off of his face. I need to deal with his arm." Tifa looked at the injury the paramedic was about to tend to. The long gash was covered in a thick layer of black residue. As Tifa looked closer, she realized it was a mix of drying blood and mako. She felt herself become slightly nauseous at the sight as the paramedic began to carefully wipe the worst of it off the wound.

As Tifa used a cloth given to her to wipe the mako off of Cloud's chin and neck, the paramedic who had dived to save him reappeared with another man as they carried a stretcher over to the revived boy. Tifa let go of his hand and backed away as he was lifted onto the stretcher and rushed to the top story of the reactor.

She stood so still as she watched them she had not noticed Zack standing next to her as they took his best friend away. She turned to see his red eyes and the tear tracks along his cheeks. He felt her stare and glanced at her. He then asked a question that echoed in her mind as well.

"What's going to happen now?"

* * *

**A/N: Oh no! Poor Cloud. D: This was such an amazing chapter to write as well as the largest to date: 4,500+ words! I've been wanting to write it for months now, and once I started I just couldn't stop! I ended up typing until 1:30 in the morning for this one. xP**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Irish-Brigid:** I know, they're so awkward! I'm glad that came across well enough. xD

**sunflowerspot:** Thank you! I just couldn't leave out Denzel. He's gonna pop up again real soon. :)


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